Chaotic Evolution
by FBK
Summary: Knuckles is targeted for murder. Tikal is back in the present. The Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald begin to evolve into a different shape, at a rapid speed. It isn't Eggman in the least...let's just say his 'family' had a back up plan.
1. It Begins

She wanted to do something nice for him...after all, he DID save her life. He, however kept his distance and obviously took guarding the master emerald very seriously. She admired him very much, but his job got in the way of any social relationship whatsoever. She felt like an idiot, even considering about thinking of being in that kind of relationship with Knuckles. But she figured that maybe his close friends could help her out. She recalled talking to Sonic, Tails, and Amy a few days ago.  
  
"Friends?" Sonic chuckled "If you wanna put it that way, but Knux is only around when he feels he is needed. IF we were to invite him somewhere he would blow us off like we were nothing and stay close to that green rock of his.  
  
"Nobody can blame him, though." Tails added "Guarding the emerald is all he knows, as a matter of fact, most of the time he sets a foot off of that island...it has something to do with the master emerald in some way....if you could just---"  
  
"He's awfully rude at times but I know that he can be sweet when the mood takes him" Amy cut in.  
  
Rouge came back to reality as she sat atop a cliff, prepping herself for what was about to happen, he would appriciate it. She just knew it! She could see Knuckles coming in, his eyes full of that meaningless anger they were always in...and all of a sudden, they light up with happiness as he sees his friends and her standing beside a buffet of snacks and the music blasting a banner that reads "Thank you, Knuckles!" she glided off the cliff, still in her little world towards Angel Island.  
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He usually wouldn't leave the island for any other reason but for the master emerald, if Amy was in trouble with Eggman, it wasn't any of his business. But seeing as how Tails had offered keep watch on the Master Emerald while he was gone, he didn't see why not. Tails said that they were somewhere near the Mystic Ruins. Knuckles Glided around to find them. He was sure a blast or a scream would give them away but...nothing. This was unlike any encounter he had heard about with Eggman, he even had to admit to himself that he was starting to get worried as he double-checked each and every area again.  
_______________________________________________________________________  
A female nurse in training stood next to a dark figure in a white coat who is sitting in a chair at some type of a control center typing away. In front of them both was a cylinder with a creature kept inside it, waiting ot be awakened for its only task in life  
  
"Doctor," the nurse spoke spoke "it is only a matter of days before it happens...don't you think.."  
  
"I would rather be a little late, then send him out into the world with the wrong amount of training epxirience, Sara." the dark figure replied  
  
"But what if it is too late and the emerald transforms before we even have a chance to stop it?" Sara said coldly to the doctor. She was obviously very anxious to get this task over with, the doctor however seemed more calm.  
  
"It will be fine, Sara. I know you are angry for me getting you mixed up in this, but beleive me, Blinx will be released just in time to stop Knuckles."  
  
"And what of the past guardian?"  
  
"We will indeed need her help more than anyone."  
  
"How do we get to her?"  
  
"I've modified Chaos Control so that it is fit for time travel as well, I will teach Blinx this after he deals with the matter of the Master Emerald."  
  
"You mean he doesn't even know what he is capable of?! Listen, we picked up where Dr.Robotnik left off...maybe we should stop. Maybe someone else has the power, Doctor!"  
  
"Do you doubt that I am capable to pull this off?"  
  
"I didn't say that, doctor. I was simply implying.."  
  
"What, Sara?! What were you implying? That I would not be done in time? That I am acting too calm? Is that it?"  
  
"Well, what else do you want me to think? Unless that guardian is stopped it means the end of us all and the start of a nightmare!"  
  
"It won't be our problem, then. Will it, Sara?"  
  
"Are you really willing to slack off and waste all of those innocent lives?"  
  
"I am just working at my own pace! I would hardly call it slacking off!"  
  
"But you seem as if you don't even care!"   
  
"If I didn't care I wouldn't be doing a damn thing about this, Sara!"  
  
The doctor was frustrated and trying his best to save everyone and everything. He buried his face into his hands as a beep sounded.  
  
"Doctor!" Sara exclaimed "It's time!"  
  
"Yes..." The doctor replied with a intelligent tone as he turned to the cylinder and spoke into a microphone in front of him "Blinx, my boy! You're going on a trip to Angel Island!"   
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Tails sat on the stairs of the shrine of the master emerald while Sonic, Amy, and Rouge were on the other side of the island, preparing everything for the celebration. Tails looked up at the sky helplessly and closed his eyes, trying to be relaxed. He couldn't see how Knuckles could stand this. He knew everyone was on the other side, having fun. But he had to do so, he promised Knuckles he would...even if it was based on a little white lie. He saw a spark of light in the sky and a streak of light as it glided toward the island. Tails knew that spark of light anywhere...it was the light..the same light that appeared after a Transport with Chaos Control. The only person he knew that had that power was Sonic..Sonic and the late Shadow. For a moment, there was a ray of hope...maybe Shadow was alive! There was really no confirmation of his death! But that hope faded as the figure got closer and closer to the island. It was an Echidna. At first he was sure it was Knuckles. He had to stall him until the others were ready but the figure landed on the island...right in front of him. It was an Echidna, but it sure as heck wasn't Knuckles. He stared in shock as the Echidna glared back. He was a bright orange color, almost identical to Knuckles. The ring around his neck was black and he had a camoflage bandanna he wore on his head.  
  
"Umm...Hello.." Tails said cautiously "A friend of Knuckles?"  
  
The echidna smirked "I guess you could say that."  
  
"Well!" Tails spoke again, this time with a more cheerful pep "If you want, you can help us out with this part we're setting up for him! See, he saved this girl Rouge's life and.."  
  
"I don't care." he interupted "My name is Blinx. I am a good friend of the guard--..the one you call Knuckles. If you please, I need to take a look at the master emerald." Blinx approached Tails and the emerald  
  
"Umm...wait.." Tails said standing in front of Blinx, blocking his way "I can't let you do that, see he's real protective of this emerald and I'm keeping a watch on it for him."  
  
"Oh, is that so?!" Blinx scowled "Well, if you don't let me see it, I'll have to use force."  
  
"Look with your eyes, not with your hands!" Tails said trying to sound intimidating.  
  
"I didn't want to do this, pal." said Blinx calmly as he charged at Tails.  
  
Tails didn't know who he was or where he came from. But he was determined to defend Knuckles' emerald, even if it meant he had to fight. Unfortunatly for him, the Tornado wasn't nearby but he had enough fighting expirience to even foil Eggman. He was about to dodge to the left when Blinx got near him, but his speed was incredible. Not only did the headbutt Blinx intended hit Tails, it sent him flying to the other side of the shrine. Tails was ready to get back up and charge back but Blinx was a step ahead of him, he was already behind Tails as he hit him in the head from behind, knocking him unconcious.  
  
"Poor kid, I hope I didn't accidently kill him." Blinx said to himself as he approached the emerald. "Now..the easiest way to destroy it is if it's in peices..that's what the doc said." Blinx raised a fist above his head and sent it crashing down on the emerald, shattering it into peices as they flew all over the place. "Damnit!" He yelled "He didn't say anything about them going all over the place like that!..But I guess it's for the best, he won't be able to find all the peices in time anyway. Now, to find that other guardian." He flew off into the distance.  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
  
Knuckles was on his way back to Angel Island thinking to himself..where could they have gone? He hoped he hadn't gotten there too late and Eggman had already cleaned up the mess but no, he knew Sonic better than that, he couldn't have lost to the demented doctor that easily. He was a few minutes away from the island when..he sensed the master emerald. This was odd...he usually didn't feel the power of the master emerald until he was closer to the island...MUCH closer..he kept flying and pondering, while he was doing so a peice of the master emerald zoomed by him, cutting him across the eye leaving a big scratch. He started bleeding without control. What he had sensed was that peice! But That could only mean one thing. The master emerald had been shattered once again, but worse..what if something had happned to Tails? He could never forgive himself for putting someone in danger because he denied his duty for once. He covered his eye and zoomed toward the island at high speed.  
  
He reached the island on the opposite side of the shrine. He would have landed on the front but because of his cut he was loosing a lot of blood and feeling woozy, he felt it would be safer if he stayed on land. He landed on the island and tried to keep himself on his feet, walking around aimlessly he did, however manage to stumble near his "suprise party". Everyone looked at him in suprise.  
  
"Knu..Knux.." Sonic Stammered "When did you get here?"  
  
"Wha?" Knuckles said with a confused face "What's going on?"  
  
"Umm..heh...suprise!" Rouge shouted. But upon noticing the blood gushing from behind his hand her voice suddenly changed to a worried tone "Hey, Knuckles. You okay?"  
  
"Tails...in...trouble..." Knuckles managed to spill these words out before collapsing to the ground.  
  
Knuckles sprung awake as if he had just passed out an instant ago. Sonic, Rouge, and Amy Were watching over Tails and Knuckles. Knuckles now had a bandage over his eye and Tails, a bandage around his head. They were laying in beds in a hospital room. Knuckles sat up instantly, it seemed that all memory had been fushed from his mind for a few seconds.  
  
"Master emerald! Wha..what am I doing here? I gotta go..take care of it!" Knuckles shouted, heading for the door.  
  
Rouge stopped him at the door, holding him in place. "Knuckles, you're hurt very badly please, go back to your bed."   
  
Knuckles collapsed in her grip, he had wanted someone to stop him, he felt terrible. He was always against depending on others but so many people were in this room to protect him, he wanted someone to hold him and nurse him, if it were only for a moment. Rouge smirked slightly as she helped him back to his bed.  
  
"You're so stubborn, you know that?" Rouge asked as she stared down at him from his bed.  
  
"Takes one to know one." Knuckles coughed. He looked to notice Amy and Sonic sitting in a couble of chairs from his bed "I see that Amy's alright, that's good." he said with a slight smile.  
  
"Uh-heh heh.." Amy giggled uneasily  
  
"Oh, Knuckles I'm so sorry! This was all my fault!" said Rouge, starting to sob "I just wanted to thank you and throw you a little get together but...it went all wrong! Tails is hurt and the Master Emerald is in peices.."  
  
"What? What are you talking about?" asked the injured Echidna  
  
"We lied about Amy in trouble to get you off the island so we could set up for a little party for you I had no idea--" Rouge wanted to continue but she was cut off my Knuckles.  
  
"What?! THEN IT IS YOUR FAULT!" he yelled at the sobbing treasure hunter "HOW COULD YOU DECEIVE ME LIKE THAT?! YOU KNOW DAMN WELL THAT THE EMERALD MEANS EVERYTHING AND WITHOUT IT..." Knuckles' voice startd to get scratchy as he was holding back tears of rage "WITHOUT IT MY HOME WILL CRASH INTO THE OCEAN! I THOUGHT I COULD TRUST YOU AS AN ALLY, ROUGE!"  
  
"Hey, wait a minute, Knuckles!" Sonic yelled "She meant well, it's not her fault that you're a tight ass!"  
  
"You shut up, Sonic!" Knuckles shot back "Like this is your business, anyway! You always stick your nose where it doesn't belong!"  
  
"Yeah, well you---" Sonic was about to continue arguing with Knuckles but Rouge cut in.  
  
"It's okay, Sonic. He has a right to be mad." Rouge said, her voice shaky "I...I gotta go..."   
  
She walked out as fast as she could, but halfway to the door she broke out in tears and ran out crying. There was silence in the room as they could all hear Rouge's boots clacking against the hospital floor. After a while the sound grew faint. Knuckles wasn't about to change his mind, he meant what he said, Rouge had no right to do what she did. But a few seconds later a moan of pain came from Tails as they all turned to him, eager to find out just what the heck had happned to the master emerald.  
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The road was rough for Knuckles but for the new Echidna in the block, Blinx everything was going according to plan. He knew his mission and was fullfilling it just as planned. He glided over to the G.U.N laboratory where the 'doc' as he called him awaited his update on his misssion. The professor paced around the laboratory, with Sara beside him, following him around the lab, reassuring him that Blinx did a fine job when Blinx comes walking in through the automatic security doors.  
  
"Hello, doctor" said Blinx as he walked in "I shattered that emerald of yours, what now?"  
  
"Blinx, welome back." smirked the doctor "You have done well, my boy. Your next task is to contact the other guardian."  
  
"Yes, you told me earlier. Where is he?" asked the orange echidna as Sara handed him an apple.  
  
"You must go back in time a few hundred years." said the doctor calmly "and it is a her, she was the original guardian."  
  
"If you want me to do this you gotta be serious" Blinx took a bite of the apple and swallowed "How the heck am I gonna go through time like that?"  
  
"You may not know this, Blinx, but I have modified your Chaos Control technique" he stated  
  
"Really?" asked Blinx curiously "How so?"  
  
"I'm so glad you asked!" said the doctor "You see if you can manage to confine the power of the emerald a few more seconds then when you teleport your self concious will take you to where you want to go."  
  
"Really?" Blinx said in amazement "That's astounding doctor, but exactly where does my self concious get the information on where I need to go in time?"  
  
"The emerald knows the guardian" he stated as-a-matter-of-factly   
  
"That's impossible, you act as if the emerald thinks for itself!"  
  
At Blinx's remark, the dark figure of the professor looked toward him, the lenses of his glasses glowing in the darkness.  
  
"Yes"  
  
"Alright, doctor. Well, I'll be off then."   
  
At that Blinx left the laboratory as the doors closed behind him, a person came on the television monitor next to Sara.  
  
"Doctor!" She yelled "Take a look at this! Quick!"  
  
The professor walked over to the monitor. The man on the screen was none other than the late Professor Gerald Robotnik! There was a rumble in the building, but Sara and the Professor were glued to the screen, if they did notice the rumble at all, they completely avoided it.  
  
"If any living creature can watch this right now, my plan to destroy the earth has failed. If it has, I will NOT go on in the afterlife, knowing Maria was not avenged. Since the apocolypse is coming I see no reason to put forth any effort in trying to destroy the planet. In my early years I had discovered the end of the earth was soon to come and I started on the ultimate defense lifeform, code name: Blinx. I purposly discontinued him and now without his help, this planet will suffer like I had planned!"  
  
"He was mad!" the doctor exclaimed "Thank god we knew and continued Blinx!"  
  
"However.." the mad scientist on the monitor continued "If the project has managed to somehow lived I will assure that his help will not defend against doomsday!"  
  
The doctor and Sara looked at the montor in horror, they now noticed the rumble on the floor as the hurried out to try and get out of the building. They were only a few inches from the door when a giant explosion went off.  
  
Blinx had just taken off from the building when the blast threw him back. He landed on his back as he slid on the concrete of the street. He got up and dusted hismelf off and looked back as the G.U.N HQ fell to the ground. He wondered if Sara and the Professor were okay. He glided back over to the rubble after the explosion was done and found Sara and the professor at the front of the rubble. They had been crushed and burnt to death, he looked at their burnt faces and crushed bodies as a single tear ran down his cheek but that was the only physical change on the outside...he just kept glaring around with that angry look in his eyes, intimidating as ever. But he was torn up on the inside. These two humans had nursed him and cared for him for years now. But he didn't know what to think of it. All he knew of was how to fight and what his mission was, that's all he knew, he hadn't very much expirience with pure emotion. He pulled out the duplicate of the transperant Chaos emerald that the doctor had always told him to be careful with, he held it high above his head and shouted.  
  
"CHAOS CONTROL!"  
  
a few seconds later he vanished out of sight.  
  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
It was a sunny day in the village where Tikal, the Chao, Chaos, and the Echidna tribe lived peacefully. The shrine glinted as the sun reflected off the light of the Chaos and Master emeralds. Tikal sat at the steps of the shrine and looked up into the morning sky as she petted a Chao.  
  
"What a beautiful day, don't you agree?" The Chao nodded happily but there was another response, a response from inside the shrine, the echoing sound of dripping water.  
  
Tikal giggled "I don't think that's a good idea. You always seem to get in some type of trouble even if you promise to be good!"  
  
It had been a long while sine Sonic and the others had rescued Tikal and Chos from their prison, and brought peace to the past. Tikal's father had to now, accept Chaos as the guardian of the Chao, but that didn't mean he liked the idea of Chaos roaming around. Tikal continued to pet the Chao and kissed it on the cheek. The sphere around the Chaos head turned into a heart as it blushed bright red. She then noticed a strange power, definitly from the Chaos emeralds, but she was so close to them, why would the power seem so strong? There was then a flash of light in the distance as Blinx stepped out from his portal and was now in front of the staircase. Tikal smiled happily and thought to herself. A visitor! From the future! Perhaps it was one of her friends! Had they found out the secret of time travel with the Emeralds in the future? She couldn't wait to hear about it!  
  
She turned to Chaos and warned it not to follow her as she skipped down the steps. But when she got to the bottom it wasn't one of her friends waiting for her, it was the glaring eyes of another Echidna. She did not recall this as the face of a warrior or villager, but she decided to be friendly anyway.  
  
"Hello." she greeted "Welcome to our Village! I know that you are from the future...tell me...how did you harness the power of the emerald?"  
  
Blinx looked down at her she was about the same physical age as him, but a great deal shorter "The original guardian, I take it?"  
  
"Yes." Tikal beamed. Original guardian. That had a nice ring to it. "I'm Tikal! What's your name, friend?"  
  
"I am Blinx. I've come to take you back to the future." he said seriously, trying to keep his eyes on the girl and not of the beautiful surroundings.  
  
  
"What for?" The young girl asked.  
  
"I will explain when we get there. There's not time. Let's go.."  
  
But Tikal stood in place.  
  
"Is this a trick?"  
  
"NOW!" he yelled.  
  
Chaos had been watching the whole thing. He didn't like it one bit. He wanted to go down and get rid of this indtruder but he stood true to his word to Tikal and did what he could, and roared from the moat around the Master Emerald. Blinx looked around, obviously scared.  
  
"He's just worried. He doesn't like strangers." she told the stranger.  
  
"Who?" he said cautiously  
  
"Chaos." she said with a slight smirk on her face, she liked that he now found her intimidating, at least with Chaos around.  
  
"Chaos?!" Blinx shouted in horror. He knew what THAT was, the doc had told him, the awful water monster that had attacked Station Square when he was still in slumber. "I'm..I'm sorry for being too forward with you, guardian. But we need to go. The one you know named Knuckles needs your help."  
  
Tikal remembered Knuckles. He was the present guardian. She still wasn't sure of this stranger but she couldn't take any chances on her friends saftey. Besides, she could threaten him with Chaos if anything went wrong, it seemed he had no advanced knowlage on him.  
  
"Alright, I'll go. Just let me get a few things.." Tikal headed for the shringe but Blinx grabbed her hand and made her face him. There was a slight blush on Tikal's face and also on Blinx's face. This felt different...holding a girls hand, but he tried to keep focused on the mission. Tikal was also felt somewhat different. She never had held hands with a boy..all the warriors were too serious and her father had forbidden any boys in the village. After a few seconds they both came to, Blinx was the first to speak.  
  
"Umm..N-No.." he stammered "We umm...must leave immideatly."  
  
"Alright...can you let go of my hand?" Tikal managed to blurt out. She knew it was rather rude but it did feel awkward.  
  
"Can't.." said Blinx "You gotta hold my...hand...for the trip.."  
  
"Oh.."  
  
She didn't really have to. Anyone close to the impact of the teleportation would also go on the trip. It wasn't his fault, if the doctor had told him, he had forgotten, but they did hold hands as he held the emerald over his head and shouted  
  
"CHAOS CONTROL"  
  
TIkal's grip tightened on his hand. She was scared, but he didn't know what to make of this...he simply just went on as he had before and they vanished a few seconds later..  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
"You don't even know who the heck he was?"  
  
"No, he just shattered it and flew off."  
  
Knuckles was questioning Tails as much as he could. This was bad, very bad. The peices were all over, and to top that off, a new enemy was in the way of restoring it.  
  
Rouge hadn't left the hospital. She was too worried about Knuckles' condition. She simply stood outside, waiting to see if an emergency would arise. She felt terrible. She didn't blame him for getting mad at her. He was right, it WAS her fault. Rouge would have rather continued her mourning but she saw a flash of light in the distance. Echidnas. Two of them. She didn't recognize them at all, but they were heading towards the hospital. She stood there as the automatic doors opened and granted them access to the hospital. She didn't know Knuckles very well, maybe this was...family? She followed them out of curiousity to see if they went to Knuckles' room. Sure enough, the strange couple knocked on the door.  
  
Everyone in the room turned to the door.  
  
"Who could that be? Maybe Rouge?" Amy asked.  
  
"If it is tell her to go away! I don't feel the need to talk to her."   
Knuckles stated firmly.  
  
Sonic went over to answer the door, expecting Rouge. Despite Knuckles, he was going to invite her back in. But that plan changed when he saw Blinx and Tikal in the doorway.  
  
"T--Tikal!" he stammered. "How..who..why?"  
  
"Hello, friend." Tikal smiled brightly "MY companion here says that Knuckles is in need of some help."  
  
Sonic eyed Blinx. How did he know? He opened his mouth to speak again. "Umm, yes. He's injured but I would think that isn't enough to get you out of the past."  
  
Tikal Looked up to Blinx.  
  
"If you let me in, I will explain."  
  
Sonic looked up over at him cautiously. "And just who might YOU be, buddy?"  
  
"My name is Blinx." he smirked "I think your two tailed friend will recognize me."  
  
"SO!" Sonic glared. "You're the one that shattered the emerald. Why, I outta.." Sonic trailed off as he chraged Blinx, but Blinx didn't move a muscle as Sonic was thrown back into the room and against a wall.  
  
"I was prepared for this." Blinx slowly walked into the room, followed by Tikal who had a hand over her mouth in shock.   
  
"What was that?!" Knuckles sat up in his bed with wide eyes.  
  
"To answer your question, that was the advanced power of Chaos control." as he walked over to the side of Knuckles' bed. Rouge had already rushed inside from the sound of Sonic hitting the wall. She was standing by the doorway. "Now...guardian.." he said as he raises a hand up in front of Knuckles. "It's time to die!"  
  
TO BE CONTINUED... 


	2. Secrets Revealed

"NO! DON'T!" Rouge screamed as she ran over to his bed, but she stopped halfway as Blinx aimed his hand over to Rouge.   
  
"Why not?! He's a threat to the planet!"  
  
"What? Knuckles? Never!"  
  
"I suppose I owe you an explination before I kill you, guardian." Blinx looked around and saw Tikal far away from him on the other side of the room. As well as the others cowering back "The rest of you, no need to worry. I mean no harm to you, if you want to listen, you may also."  
  
Blinx started his explination. "For those of you that don't know. My name is Blinx. I was a project started by Dr.Gerald Robotnik. I am the defence weapon against doomsday."  
  
"Gerald Robotnik? He created Shadow!" Sonic recalled. "But what does he, you , and Knuckles have to do with...doomsday?"  
  
"Calm down, little boy blue and I'll tell you!" he glared at Sonic, and Sonic, always standing his ground, glared back. "Uherm...'The servers are the seven Chaos. Chaos is Power. Power enriched by the heart. The Controller is the one that unifies the Chaos.' Guardians, tell me. Is that not how that how the prayer goes?"  
  
Tikal and Knuckles both nodded in in unison. They didn't notice, however, they were too caught up in this newcomers words.  
  
"Thank you." he continued "And, Tikal, when your family revealed it to you you were left by yourself, to figure it out alone. You broke it down into simply The Chaos Emeralds serve the Master Emerald, correct?"  
  
Tikal Nodded in shock. How did HE know?  
  
"Yes, well apparently you were wrong.." he said, his tone of voice getting darker. "It's true, the Chaos Emeralds are controlled by the Master Emerald, it is simply, in the eyes of the emeralds, central power. It keeps the emeralds from going haywrire. When it says "The controller is the one that unifies the Chaos." It's not talking about tha Master Emerald...oh, no. It's talking about you, guardian." Everyone turned toward Knuckles as his eyes widened. "YOU are the controller. Little do you know, you have the purist heart in the world. And like it goes 'Chaos is power, power enriched by the heart.' Knuckles controls the emeralds."  
  
"Well, if he does, why kill him? Now that he knows he controls them, we're in no real danger." Rouge tried to reason. But Blinx had more.  
  
"Like alot of living things that evolve, so can The emeralds. Once they evolve they can become a very powerful weapon, so powerful in face not any rate of heart can use them, as before when and of you or Dr.Eggman used them. The emeralds wouldn't allow it. Knuckles and possibly Tikal, only because I brought her back into this time, would be able to control them. You recall, when Chaos was conceiled in the Master Emerald his heart was full of evil, and revenge. This caused the evoulution process to speed up, but the evolution took place, under a different manner, this time, they started evolving and turning into a dark, blackish color. Before this, the emeralds meant that Knuckles was destined to become guardian and soon, with the power to Control the emeralds, the guardian of the entire planet. But, now because of Chaos, it's completely opposite. It is unknown when the process of the Dark Emeralds will begin, sucking life, not just out of our planet, but everything in existance, emitting a special kind of anti-matter energy. If the Master Emerald is kept on Angel Island then it will be the only peice of land that doesn't blink out of existance. If the Chaos emeralds are kept on the island with it, Knuckles will be able to re-create the planet, not to mention existance itself, he will play and BE god."  
  
"All right, Knuckles!" Sonic yelled out. "I'm glad to know you!"  
  
"Silence, idiot! Have you deducted yet that EVERYONE will die? The only ones to survive will be the ones on the island!"  
  
"Well, why don't we just put everyone on the island?" Amy suggested.  
  
"I won't be too harsh on you for that remark, child. But obviously we can't fit everything in existance on that small patch of land." Blinx said, rolling his eyes.  
  
"It's sad, I'll admit.." Knuckles finally spoke out. "But all of you are welcome to come on the Island."  
  
"No you arn't." Blinx said, in a smart tone of voice.  
  
"Who are YOU to say anything? Knuckles scowled "Of course they can come, these people are my friends!"  
  
"I didn't mean it that way, guardian." Blinx continued "Like I said, before Chaos you were destined to become guardian of the earth. But now, the emeralds and your emotions will take over you, you will be consumed by selfishess and evil, whether you like it or not. So, that's why, he must die. He will try to pick up the peices of the Master Emerald and restore it."  
  
"Well, of course I will! It's my home! Guarding it is all I know!" Knuckles shouted out.  
  
"And so it begins...past guardian, will you help me?" Blinx asked.  
  
"Well..." Tikal stammered "Perhaps...but there has to be an easier soulution, better than killing!"  
  
"I was trained all my life just for the soul purpose of killing him! That's what I intend to do!" Blinx shouted raising his fist above his head, once again.   
  
"WAIT!" Sonic yelled "Blinx...how did you know all this?"  
  
Blinx turned to face Sonic "The professor told me..and he was told by Dr.Robotnik."  
  
"And how did he know?"  
  
"I don't know, I suppose the same way he knew to design the core of ARK as the shrine." he turned his whole body around to face him "But all I can really do is trust in his words."  
  
"If we can find out just how he found out we could probably find a loophole without killing Knuckles."   
  
Blinx socwled at him "Why are you so insistant on keeping him alive, we can just kill him and I'll leave you alone forever!"  
  
"Give us four days! We can also keep Knuckles confined if you want!"  
  
Knuckles was now glaring at Sonic "What the heck is your problem?!"  
  
"Sorry, Knux. But it what he says is true it'd be safe."  
  
"I agree." Tikal chimed in "But I'm curious, Blinx. You had all these strong heroes to fight for you, why tap me?"  
  
"I don't know. The doctor told me to, I'm sure you're of some important significance." he said walking towards Sonic. "Now what do you propose to do?"  
  
"Well.." Sonic thought "We could get Rouge to find the missing peices and keep them in a safe place."  
  
"I don't trust her." Blinx said firmly.  
  
"Oh, well, you and Tikal can go with her, that outta get rid of any doubts you have."  
  
"And you?"  
  
"Well, me and Tails can go try to dig up some stuff on Dr.Gerald Robotnik, maybe we can find a loophole."  
  
"What about me?!" Amy jumped up in front of Sonic and waved her arms around.  
  
"Yes, what about the child?" Blinx smirked. He found her tag along attitude somewhat humorous.  
  
"She goes with you. C'mon Tails! Let's go to your workship and work on a confinement cell for Knux!" Sonic grabbed the still injured Tails and Ran out at top speed.  
  
"Wait!" Amy shouted "Sonic, don't leave me with this Scary man!"  
  
"I am not a sitter of small children."  
  
Rouge couldn't help but chuckle "It's alright, I'll keep her under control."  
  
"I could do it by myself you know." Blinx said heading for the door, but Rouge cut him off.  
  
"Do you know who I am? I'm--"  
  
"Yes, I know Rouge the Bat famed treasure hunter and spy." Blinx interupted.  
  
"Wha?"  
  
"You forget, I'm from a G.U.N science HQ, I know a lot."  
  
Rouge smirked "So you do."  
  
Knuckles was sitting in his bed, pretending to be asleep as he thought to himself. Why? Tell me! Why!? I didn't do anything to deserve this, could this really be my destiny? Blowing off my allies like nothing at becoming an evil ruler? This had to be big if time travel was involved and Tikal was tapped. He wanted to blame someone...Chaos! It was all that monsters fault! Why couldn't he just die along with the Chao? He could care less about them! He just wanted his life to go about what it was! PLEASE! He closed his eyes tightly and wished. "Childish" he said to himself. "I'm acting childish. Wishes don't come true, my fate is in the hands of my friends..I just hope they don't get hurt for me. If I felt bad when Tails was injured, I could never die happy if Amy was hurt very badly.." She was a child, she had no place and she was very vonerable..what if she..died? More in the front of his mind he was worried about Rouge...he didn't show it, but he was worried out of his mind. He then heard Rouge speak out.  
  
"One more question, Blinx."  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"How do you know Chaos Control?"  
  
Blinx chuckled. These creatures wouldn't know common sense if it was their mother. "Do you really think that in all the years Shadow was in the G.U.N Facility, that nobody would study him? Hardly, they already knew how to replicate the gems and the Chaos Control technique was simply a small fracture in the D.N.A, it could be transplanted."  
  
There was nothing left to do but wait..for Sonic and Tails.  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
Tails whistled happily in his workshop as he joined two wires together, making a shower of sparks. His head didn't hurt anymore and now, he had something to do! He really hadn't ever made a high tech confinement cell before but, it sounded fun!  
  
Sonic sat outside on top of the roof with a hammer. If Tails scolded him for not doing any work, he'd pound the roof a couple of times with the hammer, no biggie. He looked up into the blue sky. Wow, this was happening fast. He was used to events happening faster..but this could affect existance, not just hte planet EXISTANCE! He was in his own trance...getting sleepy...sleepy..slleeeepppy...  
  
"SONIC!" the little voice of Tails screamed out. Sonic jumped up so fast he fell off the roof and right in front of Tails who had a headset on.  
  
"Sorry, Sonic." Tails giggled. "But it's ready. You can call the hospital and tell them to bring Knuckles over."  
  
"Why can't YOU do it?"  
  
"Because all you've been doing is sitting out here pounding the roof with a hammer."  
  
Sonic grumbled as he walked inside to make the phone call.  
  
It was only a matter of minutes before they could see two gliding figures. Rouge is carrying Knuckles and Blinx was carrying Amy and Tikal, looking rather peeved, mumbling to himself. They landed right in front of Sonic and Tails who had been awaiting their arrival.  
  
Sonic waved as he walked over to all of them. "Hey, everybody!" he smiled "Hey, Knux! How do ya feel?"  
  
"How do you think I feel, idiot?" Knuckles talked from behind his clenched teeth "I'm about to be put in prison by my friends!"  
  
"You think you have it bad?" Blinx spoke in his dull tone "I had to drag the tag along and the guardian by myself, heavy is all I can say."  
  
"I am not heavy!" Amy shreiked  
  
"You didn't have to carry me, I can glide, you know." Tikal spoke out "You didn't give me a chance to tell you, you left in such a hurry."  
  
Blinx glared at Tikal "You're a REAL smart alec, you know that?"  
  
Tikal smiled cutely "Am I?"  
  
"Enough wasting time! Put the guardian in so we can get moving!"   
  
"Okay!" Tails shouted back at the orange echidna "Hold your horses!"  
  
Tails led everyone inside to his workshop, it was small but they scruched in.  
  
"Okay.." Tails said as he held a remote in his hand "C'mere Knuckles."  
  
Knuckles walked over to Tails   
  
"Okay, Tails. Where is it?" Knuckles asked looking around.  
  
"Okay, hope this works.." Tails pushed a small button on the remote andthe floor opened from under Knuckles, making him fall a few feet under ground.  
  
"Hey, that part worked!" Tails said smiling "Now watch this!"  
  
He turned on a monitor which showed Knuckles looking around. He was completely surrounded my metal as some mechanical arms came up from the ground and wrapped around him he struggled to get out but his whole body was wrapped, all that visable was his head. After a few seconds a steel cage came crashing down on him, many mechanical hands where on the sides of this one too boxes were below each hand along with glowing lights surrounding it.  
  
Tails spoke into his headset "Hey, Knuckles! How Does it feel?"  
  
Everyone watched the monitor as Knuckles spoke "Umm..well, it doesn't feel good. But it's not unconftorable.  
  
"Good! See those robotic hands on the side?"  
  
"Yeah.."  
  
"See those boxes below them too?"  
  
"Yeah...  
  
"Those will feed you three meals a day. "  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah, I don't got much on the menu, Sandwiches and stuff, is that okay with you?"  
  
"Sure, I guess.."  
  
Blinx stomped up to Tails "THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A CELL NOT A CAFETERIA LUNCH!"  
  
"Don't worry!" Tails pratically yelled at him as he pointed to the screen "That metal is some of the strongest on the planet! Even if Sonic was in his super form, he would have a rough time breaking them."  
  
"Wow!" Sonic was amazed "You did all this while I was laying on the roof?!"  
  
"Yup!" Tails smiled  
  
Blinx was getting tired of this. He went outside to do a little task of his as the little heroes said their goodbyes they were gonna be in there for at least an hour.  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
The time had come for our heroes to set off on their missions. They agreed to 'let' Amy stay and guard Knuckles. Tails knew for sure that nothing could break through his new invention, but it was a way to keep her out of danger. Amy regretably accepted after Sonic said it was a 'Great contribution for the team!' She said she was gonna go into town for a bit though and she went out of sight.   
  
Sonic and Tails took off in the Tornado in search of information on Doctor Gerald Robotnik. Blinx, Rouge, and Tikal would be looking for the master emerald. Blinx insisted going on foot, but Rouge was pretty insistant on going in her car. Tikal was rather interested in riding an automobile so they wound up riding in the car, Blinx was sitting up front with his armed crossed stubbornly. Rouge was driving, keeping her eyes on the road and Tikal was sitting in the back admiring the surroundings, she rather liked the city.  
  
"Keep driving until I can sense something." Blinx ordered  
  
"I know what to do! Don't order me around like that!" Rouge snapped back.  
  
They continued driving, waiting for a hint of the power of the Master Emerald.  
  
"This little damn thing is WAY too crowded!" Blinx grumbled as he sunk into his seat.  
  
Sonic and Tails, however were more confused on where to go. Just where in the heck would they find information on Gerald Robotnik? The G.U.N HQ had been bombed and there was really no other information The only thing they could think about was to go to the rubble and look for clues.  
  
There was really nothing there but dirt and medics carrying bodies from ambulance vehicles.   
  
"This is bad, we can't find anything with all this rubble lying around." Sonic said as he stepped over some sort of melted goo.  
  
"Sonic!' Tails yelled from a about thirty feet away "Look what I found!"  
  
Sonic rushed over to Tails. What luck! He had found...a peice of metal.."What the heck is this?" Sonic told Tails angrily "We're supposed to find information!"  
  
"Read it, Sonic!"  
  
"Hmm...G.U.N Head Quarters Building A..What about it?"  
  
"'Building A' means that it's the first of many! If we found another one it would probably have Gerald Robotniks Profile too!"  
  
"Hmm..." Sonic Pondered "Let me think..where might there be another G.U.N HQ?" His thinking was interrupted by the engine of the Torndado starting up again. "Tails! What the heck are you doin'?"  
  
He felt so stupid. He knew there was another one, it just didn't click right away, he would have thought Sonic, his worth 'elder' would have figured it out too, but he obviously didn't "Where do you think? Prison Island."  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
Tikal, Rouge, and Blinx stood in front of Rouge's car as it let smoke out of it's engine. They were now, stuck in the middle of the forest.  
  
"Stupid peice of junk!" Blinx shouted kicking it.  
  
"I guess I kinda forgot to put gas in..heh.." Rouge giggled  
  
"This is funny, is it, treasure hunter?" he shouted and aimed an open hand to the car "I'm gonna blast this unreliable peice of shit into oblivion!" a ball of energy formed in his hand but something kept him from throwing it. A Little voice.  
  
"mmnt!" it yelled  
  
"What is that?" Blinx walked around the car cautiously as he got to the side of the door and heard it again.   
  
"Pmmm! mmn't!" It shreiked again  
  
The sound was coming from the trunk. He moved around the car and with oure strength, lifted open the hood and sent it flying, he was about to hurt whatever it was inside that was spying, but it was Amy, she was curled up into a little ball with her hands covering her face "P--please! Don't hurt me!" Blinx rolled his eyes and helped her out of the car.  
  
"What are you doing?" He glared at her.  
  
Amy smirked "You didn't think I was going to let everyone leave me behind, did you?"  
  
"What if something happens to the guardian? He could break through!" Blinx lied   
  
"I heard what Tails said!" Amy snapped "If Sonic couldn't break it in his super form, how could normal Knuckles"   
  
Blinx grumbled to himself. They had to keep the kid now. "Well.." he sighed "I'm going to set up camp"  
  
"What the heck are you talking about?" Rouge rolled her eyes "We hardly have the materials to stay in the forest! I say we head back and get to a hotel.."  
  
Blinx was already draggin supplies out of the trunk of the car. "I'm always prepared." Well, she had to admit that he proved her wrong. He had a tent along with matches and some freeze-dryed food "Don't go eating all the food! I'm gonna go find some fire wood! It's all we have to survive on for the next few days!"  
  
Amy jumped up in front of him "Please! Please, mister scary man! Let me help."  
  
He turned to yell at her loudly "DO NOT CALL ME SCARY MAN!"  
  
Amy clung to Rouge and rouge passed a dirty look at Blinx "Don't yell at her like that! She's just a kid!"  
  
"My name is Blinx! Don't call me anything else. Got that? You're hardly a plus for this stupid little mission!" He turned his back and started to head for the forest.   
  
"No wait!" Amy ran up in front of him again "Blinx...let me go to get the fire wood and help, please?" she looked up at him with big cute eyes  
  
"NO!"   
  
Amy's cute little eyes were now moist and her tears were sparkling in the sunlight Rouge did her best to comfort her "It's okay! He's a big fat meanie, that's all."  
  
Blinx turned back to look at them and smirked "I'm not fat."  
  
He walked off into the forest glaring forward at nothing, or whatever would come in front of him.  
  
He walked back, empty handed. No wood at all in this forest! all stupid little shrubs and gigantic trees! He got to where he had left the girls. They were all just sitting there. Rouge was sleeping on a log and Amy was trying to teach Tikal how to play jacks. Blinx was steamed  
"ALL OF YOU! GET OFF YOUR ASSES AND HELP ME SET UP CAMP! I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT YOU WOULD HAVE THE BRAIN CAPACITY TO SET IT UP ALREADY!  
  
Even Rouge was intimidated. This guy was strong and had a short temper. All the girls got up as they started setting up the tents and trying to start a small fire with leaves. Amy, however snuck off. She was determined to help, even if Blinx was against it, she would find that firewood if it was the last thing she did!  
  
The sun was setting now. Amy gazed up into the sky. "This is beautiful" she thought to herself. If only Tikal and Rouge were here to see it. But Blinx had them working their tails off..she sighed..Tails..that remined her. Had Sonic and Tails made any progress. More importantly, had SONIC made any progress. She wasn't paying attention when she tripped over a hard pile of something and fell straight forward down a hill. She got dirty and scraped as she tried to keep speed, but she couldn't she looked down after the fall to see what was hurting so bad. It was her leg, it was twisted and it was a nasty sight. She screamed and cried her little heart out.  
  
Camp had been set up, it was dark now. Tikal and Rouge were sleeping on the floor. They didn't have time for adrenaline to rush in for the work they had done they had done it too fast. Rouge sat up. Her ears twitched. She heard something, she woke up Tikal by shaking her. "Tikal, Tikal! Do you hear that?" Tikal sat up, though very faint, she heard it too. "I'll bet my life that that's Amy. Tikal nodded. Blinx was behind a tent, tightening the ropes around the steaks when he heard it too. He ran to the front of the camp site. Rouge and Tikal were already gone. He knew it was Amy. what trouble had she gotten into this time?   
  
He caught up to the girls as they ran to get to Amy. He ran past them and was actually, a few steps ahead of them. They kept running, although they knew Blinx had it under control. But Blinx ran PAST Amy.  
  
"You asshole!" Rouge yelled as she streaked to a stop. A big pile of wood was what had tripped Amy. Rouge walked slowly down the hill and was about to lead Amy by the hand when she realized that the little girl couldn't walk. She slumped her over her shoulder and carryed her to the top.  
  
"Let's head back.." Tikal whispered.  
  
"No." Rouge insisted "I'm waiting for Blinx, I'm going to give him a peice of my mind."   
  
Soon after Blinx walked out from behind a tree, a dark green light glowing in his hand. He walked up to the hill. Rouge couldn't beleive it, at least four peices of the master emerald were in his hand. Although she was still mad at him for running past Amy, at least he had a reason. Rouge kneeled down and picked up the firewood. "Looks like you've helped in more ways than one Amy."  
  
Blinx walked up to her and stared at her. Amy knew she was in trouble... But to her suprise he knelt down and carried Amy in his arms. "You've had a long day, kid. Let's get you back to camp."  
Amy smiled to herself all the way back. Finally...she had helped.  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
Rouge couldn't beleive it! Sonic and Tails had found a loophole! And Just when they found all the peices of the emerald, Knuckles stole them! How did he get out of his prison? They had worked so hard! She watched in horror as one by one he pushed friends off of Angel island to the explosions on the land below. Finally, he got to her, simply pushing her, but she clung to the side with one hand.  
  
"Sorry, Rouge. It's the way things have to be." Rouge looked into Knuckles' eyes, they weren't his eyes they were red and full of evil. "You understand." He stomped her hand as she fell into the firey land.  
  
Rouge sat up. She had been dreaming, and now she was drenched in a cold sweat. Everything was fine. She was amongst friends, sleeping in a tent in the wilderness...She knew that no matter what she had to stop this Evolution of the emeralds...even if it killed her. 


	3. Michelle and Doctor Lott

Knuckles was awaken by a mechanical moan. The hands around him were moving. He didn't know what time it was, but obviously the time Tails had set for breakfast. He saw as the mechanical hands reached in the boxes below and pulled out some materials to make a bowl of cereal.  
  
"It's not much, but at least Tails was smart enough to put something like that in this contraption." he thought to himself   
  
[It's poison! Don't eat it!]  
  
"What?!" Knuckles looked around. He was sure he had heard a voice..."Who's there?!" he yelled  
  
[It's only me, Knuckles.] The voice echoed through the underground prison  
  
"What do you mean? Who are you?!"  
  
[It's you Knuckles.]  
  
"Huh..what? Show yourself!"  
  
[I'm you, Knuckles. You're talking to yourself.]  
  
Knuckles closed his eyes tightly "GO away! Leave me alone!"  
  
[No matter whar you want to think, Knuckles. They're all against you. This is a trap. They're going to kill you when you are weak.]  
  
"No they wouldn't do that! They're my friends! They're trying to help me!"  
  
[How do you know that? The SAID they were off to go help you but I know for a fact that they're just thinking of a creative way to kill you.]  
  
"Liar! You're lying!"  
  
[Knuckles! I'm suprised at you! You don't trust me at all?]  
  
"You're just a figment of my imagination! Go away! Now! Go!"  
  
[Fine. I will. But I want to tell you that you will regret not listening to me. I swear on my life. You will regret it.]  
  
The voice was gone..what had it been? He thought he must be going mad being in seclusion, but he would not pay any more attention and go on with breakfast  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
Sonic and Tails had gotten to Prison Island later than expected. They had to sleep in the Tornado, without being spotted. But when Tails awoke that morning. No sign of anything on that island. Hopefully they were gonna be in, out and on with their lives...yup everything was smooth sailin'...at least it would be...when Sonic woke up.  
  
"Sonic.." He whispered as he shoved him to the side "Come on, Sonic. If you don't get an early start we'll probably get caught."  
  
Sonic pushed Tails to the side roughly "Leave me alone, I need sleep.."  
  
"Fine!" Tails yelled back "I know that when the world ends I'm not the one to blame!"  
  
"Okay okay, fine!" Sonic grumbled, sitting up "Geez, all work and no play makes Tails a dull boy."  
  
Tails rolled his eyes "Come on, let's get going."  
  
They hid the Tornado under a cliff and set off into the secluded forest that was Prison Island. Tails was the one who was there, so Sonic had to trust Tails. Tails, on the other hand remembered almost exactly direction Eggman had headed after the battle, but after that he didn't know anything else. He knew Sonic didn't have very much faith in him, so he continued like he would if he knew every step of the way. Sonic walked behind him with his hands behind his head, looking up at the sky boredly.  
  
"Tails.." Tails didn't turn around, he knew some smart alec remark was coming up "TAILS!"  
  
Tails turned around so quickly he made Sonic jump "What, Sonic?! What do you want?!"  
  
Sonic looked in shock at his two-tailed partner, but then chuckled. He loved to bust his chops. "Are we there yet?"  
  
"Grrr.." Tails hated Sonic when he was like this. If only he had his mech to stomp the hedgehog down, he had a right mind to go down to that cliff and get it. "What do you think?"  
  
"I don't know, Tails." Sonic smirked "You're the little tour guide, you tell me."  
  
"We're close." Tails turned back and continued walking.  
  
Tails was amazed that a few moments later there was light at the end of the path. He knew that he would make it and prove Sonic wrong. There it was. The G.U.N headquarters on Prison Island.  
  
"See, I told you I knew where I was going." Tails walked toward the building  
  
"Yeah, yeah.." Sonic rolled his eyes "What now?"  
  
"I..umm..I don't know.." Tails said scratching the back of his head nervously   
  
"Nice job, genious. I guess we can just walk in there and ask.."   
  
"What if they take us prisoner?"   
  
"Why would they? We just want information.."  
  
"I guess you're right."  
  
Sonic and Tails headed for the G.U.N. building. They were in for a warm welcome.  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
Blinx was the first one to awake that morning. His side was hurting very badly. These girls were trouble even when they slept. He knew each of them must have kicked him twice each. They couldn't stay put. Nightmares most likely. Hopefully he wouldn't have the same problem tonight. He wanted to go into a nearby city that day and pick up supplies, hopefully an individual tent. He also wanted to bring along the girls. He didn't trust them for a minute by themselves. They were bound to get into a wrong that only he could right. It would be safer and Besides, it was a way to get them out of his hair for a few hours. They could shop, or do whatever women do. It was fairly early, around 10:00 am, but Blinx wasn't one to wait. He knew one thing that would definitly wake them up. Simple, really. He taught himself this technique..  
  
"GET UP! NOW!!!" The girls scrambled around the tent, bumping into eachother until finally all backing into a corner. Blinx was standing by the entrance. "Get up, we're going into town." He picked up Amy and put her on his shoulders, she was still half asleep, trying to keep from falling off. "Let's go." he walked out. The girls got out of their night clothes and into their other clothes as quickly ass possible!  
  
"It's so early! I don't want to go anywhere so early, I'm too tired and my clothes are all dirty from leaving them on the floor." Rouge dusted herself off.  
  
"Why do we need to go into town?" Tikal yawned   
  
"I need to pick up supplies and I don't trust any of you alone. Let's go."  
  
They all crowded around Blinx who was standing in one place.  
  
"Are..we going to start walking?" Tikal asked raising an eyebrow.  
  
"No. Hold onto my hand."  
  
"Oh, I see." Tikal finally got it and grasped Blinx's hand softly.  
  
Blinx was in a small blush again, Tikal turned her head, he really couldn't tell her expression. He looked down at her hand..it was so..tiny..  
  
Rouge however wasn't on the same page. "Excuse me?"  
  
Blinx snapped back to what was at 'hand' "Oh..I'm using teleportation, hold on to Tikal's hand."  
  
Rouge did as she was told as she looked at Blinx in confusion, Amy was also confused but that was for the simple reason she was half asleep and falling asleep on Blinx. But Rouge got her answer as the words were yelled and once again that flash of light appeared as they were hurled into the teleport and vanished from sight.  
______________________________________________________________________  
Sonic and Tails cautiously walked out of the forest, toward the G.U.N. Headquarters Tails had gotten in and out alive once and he could do it again...but that WAS with his mech so the odds of him not getting out alive were higher. But then again..Sonic was with him, and they could only hope that speed was a good enough substitute for force and power.  
  
They creeped up to the building. It was quiet...too quiet...maybe they were just imagining things..maybe they were just lucky..Maybe they were just imagining that laser pointer on their foreheads..  
  
Sonic grabbed Tails and spin dashed as the shot fired, they could here it hit a tree in the distance. These guys must be camoflauged. He knew a sure fire way to get them out of hiding..but it was risky. Especially with Tails nearby. He motioned to Tails and Tails started to back into the forest. Nobody stopped him, that was good. Now with Tails out of the way he could go on with his plan.  
  
Tails backed into the forest slowly, he was going to go get his mech but a hand grabbed him and pulled him from behind a tree.  
  
Sonic prepped himself and built up speed for his plan of attack. He ran up to the building and broke the glass front door. At least a dozen men came out of nowhere, shooting wildly. He dodged these shots easily as he finally focused on where they all were. Perfect! They were syncronized he planned his homing attack and let his speed go as he rammed each and every one, knocking them to their feet. The smoke cleared as Sonic saw all the men piled up on top of eachother, some scattered around.  
  
"Nobody messes with THIS one hedgehog army!" At this a few more dozen came out from above and below. Sonic gulped as he raised his hands in defeat.  
  
Sonic was pushed into a cell, where Tails was sitting, resting his chin on his knees. Sonci rolled his eyes "Can't you do anything right?"  
  
Tails glared back at him. "It's not my fault! They grabbed me from behind."  
  
Sonic sighed. There was no way to go back. They were screwed. Unless he could break out. Why not? He could try.  
  
"I don't think so, Sonic." Sonic turned as he saw a Doctor in a white trenchcoat.  
  
"What are you talking about? Who ARE you?"  
  
"Oh! I am so rude my apologies, Sonic. My name is Doctor Lott. I am head of Scientific research here. And I have telepathic capabilities."  
  
"Don't josh us like that!" Tails looked up at the doctor "That's impossible."  
  
"Oh?" he looked back at Tails " How would you know, my friend? Telepathy is simply a fracture of a certain part of the brain"  
  
"What do you want?" Sonic cut back in  
  
"What do I want?" he asked shocked "Well, when they said they had caught the famous Sonic Zee Hedgehog I just had to see for myself."  
  
"Well, you've seen, now go away!"  
  
"Tell me Sonic..just vat vere you breaking into the Headquarters for?"  
  
"Why should I tell YOU?"  
  
"Well, if it vas a good reason, I can get you out and possibly help you."  
  
Sonic thought for a moment and then spoke. "Ok..." Sonic told the doctor the whole story. About Shadow and Dr.Gerald Robotnik, then about Blinx and the emerald. The doctor wa perplexed...amazed. He finally spoke when Sonic was finished.  
  
"Astounding...GUARDS!" He called. A muscular man come in beside him "Release these two! NOW!" The guard did as directed and released Sonic and Tails.  
  
"Thanks alot doc." Sonic shook his hand "We'll be off now."  
  
"Not so fast Sonic!."  
  
Sonic turned around looking annoyed "WHAT NOW?!"  
  
"Please listen..before Gerald Robotnik went to do research on ARK...I was his partner.."  
  
Sonic and Tails looked at eachother, both suprised. They were closer to this 'loophole' than they thought!  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
Knuckles looked around his prison after lunch. Those sandwhiches hit the spot, especially when he had nothing to eat or drink until the next meal.   
  
How long would it take for them to get back? He was lonely..nobody to talk to..  
  
[I can fix that, Knuckles.]  
  
It was that voice again! "What do you want?!"  
  
[I just want your help, please help me...do it for me and her..]  
  
"You and her what are you.."..Knuckles paused..he was going insane..talking to himself.. "Nevermind."  
  
[PLEASE! I miss her so! If only you would understand! I loved her! I really did! It was our families! They were at war! Our love was forbidden!]  
  
Knuckles rolled his eyes "Sounds like something right out of Romeo and Juliet.." He chuckled at his own joke.  
  
[I beg of you, guardian of the other side..]  
  
"I don't know what the heck your talkin' about. But I'm gonna wait for them to make everything right!"  
  
[That's just it! If you don't let me go..they will kill you! I swear!]  
  
"Why should I listen to you?"  
  
[I've never steered you wrong before..]  
  
"What? You're not me!"  
  
[Yes I am! Please...hear me out...please..]  
  
He had no choice but to listen to the voice's tale....he hoped Sonic and the others would hurry..  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
Tikal looked around the market place in awe. This was SO much civilized than her village in tha past not to mention fun! She had never been allowed outside by herself before but she was with her new friend Rouge and they were free to do what they wanted! Unlike Rouge, who was still a little tired and walked closely behind her, Tikal skipped happily through the market place. It was SO much fun! All the good smelling foods and the neat looking objects, VERY beautiful jewelery she might add. Her skipping was halted after she saw a man at the side of the street. A homeless echidna was sitting there with a hat in front of him with a few dimes in it. Tikal stopped in front of him.  
  
"Oh, hello there." Tikal bent down in front of him "Why arn't you having fun with everyone else?" there was a sound of an explosion in the distance but neither of them paid any attention  
  
The echidna looked up, he was an old man, almost close to death, however, he was friendly to Tikal none the less "Well, my dear, I have no home or no money. I wish I could have fun."  
  
Tikal looked at him in confusion. "And without money you cannot have fun?"  
  
"Not even if I tried." The old man shook his head. "What is a beautiful young girl like yourself talking to me when you can be shopping with your friends?"  
  
Tikal looked around for Rouge. There she was! She was walking right toward them, she had been trying to find out what that giant explosion was. Rouge saw them and immidiatly ran over "TIKAL! What's wrong? Are you all right?"  
  
Tikal smiled "I'm fine...can you give my friend some money so he can have fun with us?" She gestured down to the old man.  
  
Rouge looked down at the elderly echidna and then back at Tikal and had a crooked smile on her face. "Err...umm..I really don't think he wants to."  
  
"Please? I think he needs some friends right now!" Tikal put her hands together and looked up at Rouge hopefully.  
  
"Don't worry about me! Go on! Have fun!" The old man tried to put his head down again and wait for more change.   
  
"I most certainly will not! As a princess I must have manners and respect for other people!" Tikal grabbed his hand and lead him over into the street.  
  
Rouge chuckled to herself and smiled as she watched Tikal lead the man to one booth after the next showing him things and laughing with him, she was so warm hearted, if only she could have an influence on Knuckles..or Blinx for that matter. She sighed and followed behind them.  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
Blinx was close by, but he wasn't having as much fun, nor was he learning the lesson of giving. No, he was stuck with Amy on his shoulders he looked idiotic with this child clinging to him everywhere he went, we couldn't go to the hunting store to pick up supplies without being ridiculed but that was not going to happen again..seing as how he did, afterall, destroy half of the store... He was slowly discovering the horrors of shopping. Amy wasn't making it any easier either, begging over and over to stop to the side at a jewelery stand, asking to eat at every resteraunt she set her little eyes on. He wasn't stopping anymore though, he didn't even know why he stopped earlier in the first place. He had gotten most of his needed supplies, knives, food, first aid kit and such. All he needed was his individual tent.   
But what was that? He felt the faint presence of the master emerald. He was now focused on nothing but that he tightened his grib on Amy's legs.  
  
"Hold on, Kid."   
  
Amy looked down at him in confusion. "Wha? Whoah!"   
  
Blinx was hauling it as fast as he could. It was getting more and more stronger finally it was in the food market he was sure of it. But where? His first thought was, maybe in a jewlery stand but that idea was gone when he remembered he was in the food market. It was getting fainter we ran forward..it got stronger...it was getting faint again. Forward he walked and it got stronger yet again. Somebody had it and was moving. He kept running in the direction his signal was going. It was going haywire! Running from one place to the next. Before he knew it he was at the end of the market place and the signalwas inside the gab between where the market ended and a building. There it was...a dead end..a brick wall   
  
"Damnit!" he punched the brick wall, the punch softly quaked the building.  
  
Someone tapped him from behind. The signal was back and stronger than ever he grabbed the hand and the creature it belonged to let out a yelp.  
  
"Ahhh! Please..don't!" It was a cute little echidna girl. She was pink and in rags. She covered her face and shivered feircely.  
  
"You shouldn't sneak up on a person like that." Blinx let her hand go. She held her wrist with her other hand and snuggled against it, trying to make the pain go away. Blinx eyed her other wrist. There was a string around her wrist, with 5 shards of the master emerald on it, she was wearing it as a bracelet.  
  
"You shouldn't take things that don't belong to you." he pointed to her bracelet.  
  
"What are you taking about?" The girl asked with a frown on her face "I found these on the coast when I was looking for seashells!"  
  
"Well it doesn't belong to you! Give it back!" he yelled  
  
"Oh.." She looked at her bracelet "Is it yours?"  
  
"No!" He snapped   
  
"Oh. Well is it your girlfriends?" she gestured to Amy who blushed slightly "I'm no his girlfriend and no it's not mine!"  
  
"Oh.." She smiled "Then why do you want it?"  
  
"It..It's just...It belongs to someone we know." Blinx grabbed for it but the little girl pulled it back.  
  
"Finders keepers loosers weepers." She smirked  
  
"Look, girl. I know you'd rather sell it for money so you can buy grapes or whatever it is you poverty stricken people eat but it's ours!"  
  
"First of all I don't eat grapes very much and second of all nobody will buy them from me! They don't trust a poor little girl in rags they think they're fake!" she snapped "And my names not 'girl' it's Michelle!"  
  
Blinx sighed " Well, MICHELLE, Name your price."  
  
"Hmm.." She pondered "Well...hmm.."  
  
"I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY!"   
  
She smiled cutely as she put her hands behind her back "You have to take me out to dinner." she giggled.  
  
"What? Don't be idiotic! Look, I'm willing to give all my money if you can just.."  
  
"You want them back don't you?"  
  
"Well...yes..." he looked worriedly back at Amy for some back-up..but Amy was too busy trying not to wet herself from laughing so hard.  
  
"Fine." She skipped off "Meet me back at this building in two hours." she yelled back.  
  
Blinx immidiatly turned back to glare at Amy "WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU BACK ME UP!?"  
  
"W-W-haha...W-what did you want me to say?" Amy breathed heavily from laughing so hard.  
  
"Yo could have fought her off or something! Don't you care about the future of your planet?!"  
  
"I'm not good at fighting, my leg is sprained but I wouldn't anyway, after all, I'm not your girlfriend or nothin'" She giggled   
  
Blinx picked up Amy and sighed once again, he was going to find Rouge and Tikal, maybe they could help him with his little dillema.  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
Doctor Lott led Sonic and Tails through a large room, full of robots and machines, some were robots they had seen working in contruction some machines were in hospitals they had seen. They followed the doctor through the room, trying to stay close, as the room was dark and they never knew when they were to trip over one of the machines.  
  
"Before ARK, the Professor was a very kind man, all he wanted to do was help the world." he dusted off a hospital machine. "when he was a young lad he invented almost every machine used in hospitals today, he even invented the first robot, cabable of being controlled by any brain."  
  
"Wow.." Tails whispered as he looked around.  
  
The room ended as they all walked through a door into a lit library as the doctor continued "He was also the one who found out most physical capabilities are simply a fracture of the DNA and brain...and how to transplant these fractured cells." he walked up to a file cabinet and looked through it and pulled out a file that said G.Robotnik. "This is the doctors profile along vith some very interesting entries in hisjournal log."  
  
Sonic took the file as the doctor handed it to him it had it all, pictures journal entries, even notes on what his projects were chemically made of. He picked up a journal that said Mystic Ruins It was way smaller than the rest.  
  
"Do you think this could be it, Tails?" he showed the book to Tails, who shrugged.  
  
"It might be, after all that temple in the middle of the forest had a lot to do with Chaos."  
  
"Hmm.." Sonic picked it up and read it aloud.  
  
"This was my first and only whole day on this expiditon, I found a scripture from ancient times and converted it to understandable language. It stated that when the Master Emerald evolves, it will either mean sure death to the planet or great fortune, I have collected enough information on the Chaos emeralds back in the laboratory and have already contstructed a skeleton on what might be the ultimate defense against them, there was more to the scripture but I think it best to leave it be as it is very fragile and come back for it later, I cannot risk the safety of the planet." Sonic closed the book "This has to be it! If we can find the scripture at the Mystic Ruins we can find a loophole for Knuckles!"  
  
Tails nodded and chuckled "Wow, his whole plan was to destroy the planet, but he's doing just the oppsite, leaving behind all these clues for us!"  
  
"Doc," Sonic held up the book "Can we keep this?"  
  
"Sure, Sonic," The doctor smiled "as a matter of fact, take the entire file, it might be of some use to you."  
  
"Thanks allot, Doctor Lott." He grabbed the file and Tails and ran off.  
  
"Good luck Sonic.." The doctor spoke "You are the planets only hope."  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
"That's...that's awful.." Knuckles spoke to his new friend.  
  
[I know, I have to get back to her..I just..have to..]  
  
"Well, I don't know..you did try to trick me before..telling me my friends were trying to kill me!"  
  
[Well, you understand my position now!]  
  
"Yes.." Knuckles sighed "I do.."  
  
[Please, guardian..will you help me?]  
  
"Well..okay..Ah!---"  
  
He had him at the word 'okay' it was too late...he had gotten him..the demon had gotten Knuckles.  
  
Knuckles' eyes were now red "Hahaha! You fool! Now I can have my sweet revenge!"  
  
[No!!] Knuckles spoke from the inside [You tricked me!]  
  
"Alls fair in love and war, Knuckles." he broke through Tails' iron prison with ease, his veins from his muscles showing. "And me, my friend..I'm stuck in the middle of both." 


	4. One Guy, Four Girls, And A Pizza Place.

Michelle skipped happily over to find her grandfather. She couldn't wait to tell him the good news..but he wasn't at the corner where he usually sleeps..she hoped he wasn't hurt, but she knew her grandfather, although he was real old he was strong, that's why she felt so protected with him. She kept looking around when she saw him walk out of a formal clothing store..wearing very sharp new clothes...she gasped to herself. Of course...her grandfather would never resort to robery..but...just to check she ran over, two girls walked out and stood beside him as she ran toward him, a very pretty echidna and an older looking bat. At least she knew he wasn't robbing anything..  
  
"Thank you very much, Tikal." The old man smiled "If only all other people were as nice as you."  
  
"Don't mention it, Jack, I guess you just got lucky when you met me." She smiled.  
  
"And thank you for buying this dress for my Michelle, I'm sure she'll love it!" he held up a green dress with a flower design in the middle.  
  
Michelle ran up to him and jumped up in front of him "Grandpapa! Guess what I did!"  
  
Tikal felt the master emeralds presence.. it was VERY strong..she immidiatly noticed Michelle's bracelet and her eyes widened. She didn't know what to do..she didn't want to just..TAKE it from her..  
  
"Look, Michelle!" Jack held up the dress "These nice girls gave us new clothes!"  
  
"Really?!" Michelle smiled and gave Tikal and Rouge both a big hug "Oh, thank you SO much! This will work out just perfect for this evening!"  
  
"What do you mean this evening?" Jack asked.  
  
"Oh, Grandpapa! I'm so happy! I got a boy to go out with me!"  
  
Jack chuckled "Did you now? Was it the same dream you usually have?"  
  
She frowned "No, grandpapa! He was real! He wanted this." She held up her bracelet "And he's going to go out with me if I give it to him!"  
  
Rouge growled "That's not the right reason to go out with you...umm..what's your name again?"  
  
"Michelle." she looked over to the left of her.  
  
"Right, Michelle." Rouge continued "I didn't know men could get this bad! I mean...using you for jewlery!"  
  
"There he is!!" She squealed they all turned to look where she was looking..Rouge was going to give that pig a peice of her mind! Better yet...she saw Blinx walking toward them, maybe he could do something!  
  
"Blinx!" she finally yelled at him as he got to them "There's this guy and he tried to steal..."  
  
"Hi there!" Michelle clinged to Blinx as she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly, he almost lost grip of Amy.  
  
"Wait a minute...oh..I get it.." Rouge laughed out loud.  
  
"What's so funny, treasure hunter?" Blinx glared.  
  
"Oh, nothing, have a big date tonight?" Rouge snickered.  
  
"You! Shut up!" Blinx snapped  
  
"Hello, I'm Michelle's grandfather" he stuck out a hand in friendship  
  
Blinx sneered "Charmed. But I'm not going on a date willingly, that bracelet she has on belongs to someone else!"  
  
Jack frowned at Michelle "Is this true, Michelle?"  
  
Michelle frowned back "It's not my fault! I didn't know! Besides if he's going to take it he might as well do something nice for me!"  
  
"Now, Michelle!" Jack raised his voice "These people have givin us clothes and a little money, give them back their jewels!"  
  
"Wait! No!" Rouge turned to Blinx "You are going to go out on a date with her and it's going to be a nice date for her, got that?"  
  
"Since when do I listen to you?!" Blinx yelled back at her.  
  
"SINCE THE DAY YOU CROSSED THE LINE OF A GIRLS FIRST DATE!" She practically raised her voice so high the whole market was looking at them.  
  
Blinx looked at her in horror, talk about moodswing. "Fine. But you guys gotta go find me my individual tent."  
  
"No, first we're going to dress you up and then Me, Amy and Tikal will go and find your stupid tent!"  
  
"There's no way I'm playing make over with you!"   
  
"YOU'RE GOING TO PLAY MAKE OVER AND LOVE IT!" There went that moodswing again.  
  
Jack and Michelle walked off "I'll see you tonight, Blinx!" she waved  
  
Tikal crossed her arms "I don't think she deserves a date."  
  
Rouge gasped "Tikal!"   
  
Tikal looked away "Hmph, Well, I don't it wasn't hers to take in the first place."  
  
"You were so caring a while ago." Rouge frowned  
  
"Yeah, well." Tikal started to walk off "I'm going to go find that tent."  
  
She walked off as Amy giggled. If what she thought was going was true..it was going to be one crazy night!  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
It was a trip down memory lane as Sonic and Tails walked through the forest of the Mystic Ruins. They both had their own memories. Tails remembers how he went into the desert to find that Chaos Emerald. Sonic remembered how he found that crazy temple he had to run through. Now, all they had to do was find the temple..which was easier said than done.   
  
Tails continued walking behind Sonic "Exactly which direction are we going?"  
  
"We're going where I know where to go." Sonic lightly growled  
  
"And where would that be, mister tour guide."  
  
"You're askin' for it, you know that?" Sonic glared at him  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, I was under the impression you know where the heck we were going!"   
  
Sonic knew he was getting just what he had givin but Tails put it on pretty deep.  
  
There was a rumble in the bushes.  
  
Tails gasped "What was that?"  
  
"Shh.." Sonic put a vertical finger to his lips. "Stay back."  
  
Tails nodded as Sonic apprached the bushes where the sound came from but before Sonic could even get ready for attack...Doctor Lott jumped out from behind the bushes.  
  
"Ahh!" Sonic screamed as he started to back off but tripped and fell back.  
  
"Why, Sonic!" Doctor Lott helped him up "I'm so glad I found you, I figured you would need some help."  
  
"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that." Sonic dusted himself off "And I don't think you should come, I mean you would only slow us down, not to be rude or anything."  
  
"Oh, by no means am I going with you into the temple." The doctor shook his head "No doubt Gerald had an entry on where to go, I will simply just show you the way to the temple, you don't mind, do you?"  
  
"No not at all." Tails spoke up "Sonic didn't know where he was goin' anyway."  
  
It wasn't very long before Doctor Lott found the temple, actually it was a few minutes from where they were standing when they found him, the only problem was they were heading in the wrong direction.   
  
The doctor stood with Sonic and Tails at the bottom of the stairs of the temple.  
  
"There it is." The doctor pointed. "Now..what we have to do.."  
  
"Thanks doc!" Sonic and Tails rushed up the stairs.  
  
"Sonic, wait!" Lott shouted as loud as he could but Sonic was too caught up in what what he was about to do, or thought he was about to do, anyway. He ran around and found nothing...not an entrance..not even a weak place to break in. He called down to the doctor.   
  
"Hey, Doc! Where do we go from here?"  
  
The doctor shook his head "Do you have Gerald's file?"  
  
"Uhh...hmm..It's in the Tornado." Sonic yelled back. "And we left the Tornado...in Tails' workshop...DAMNIT!"  
  
"Oh, you figured it out, eh?" The doctor yelled up.  
  
Sonic walked down the stairs, Tails close behind. "What are you talking about? I just noticed that if we woulda used the Tornado to have an overlook of the forest, we would have gotten here in a split second!"  
  
"Listen Sonic, we must get that file back from Tails' workshop immidiatly." The doctor insisted.  
  
"Why?" Sonic looked at him with a confused look.  
  
"Because, it has the key to opening the temple."  
  
Thanks to the presence of Dr.Lott, they all got out of the forest in a short while as they climbed into the cart that led them back to the other part of the mystic ruins and to Tails' workshop.   
  
"What exactly does it say, doctor?" Tails asked as he walked out of the workshop, with Gerald's file in hand.  
  
"Well, I know for a fact that you need two stone statues to enter. One gold and one silver."  
  
"Well, where are they?" Sonic asked impatiantly  
  
Doctor Lott dug through the file until he pulled out the journal and read. "The two stone statues that open the past of the echidna tribe were, to my suprise, already there when I went up to the temple. But I hid them in seperate places, to protect the precious artifacts I might one day go back and get. I hid the silver statue in the underground garage of the main hotel in station square, the gold one I hid in the sewage system of station square, in a hidden compartment." he looked over at sonic "What do you propose we do?"  
  
"Tails!" Sonic yelled "Come here."  
  
Tails walked over to Sonic from his workshop. He was about to check on Knuckles but Sonic seemed serious. "What's wrong, Sonic."  
  
"We need to find the keys that open the temple. One is in the garage of the Station Square main hotel. Another one is in a sewage line. I say we go seperatly, so we won't take up as much time."  
  
"Alright!" Tails yelled heroricly. He had forgotten about Knuckles and was set on going on an adventure of his own.   
  
So they waved good-bye to Doctor Lott as they rushed off on their mission. If only they knew about Knuckles..  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
Rouge had gotten Blinx, what she thought was a very sharp outfit. It was a green button-up shirt and some sun glasses. He wouldn't put on anything else, but she worked with what she had, and even she had to admit he looked cute. They were both in the men's restroom of a nearby restraunt, it was easy since anyone who saw them walked and straight out, obviously shocked. Amy sat and watched anxiously awaiting the 'big date'  
  
"I can't beleive I let you do this to me." Blinx looked at himself in the mirror "You know that I beleive in revenge, don't you?"  
  
Rouge chuckled to herself "Awww, I think you look very handsome."  
  
Blinx growled.  
  
"You don't think so? Well Amy does, don't you Amy?" Rouge smiled in her direction  
  
"Sure!" She snickered  
  
"Okay.." Rouge turned Blinx around to face her "We got the clothes done, now for entertainment." she smirked  
  
"Woah, hang on bat girl. I'm not the kinda echidna." Blinx stared at her wide-eyed.  
  
"No, idiot! I'm talking about dinner and maybe a movie"  
  
"Well, I'll do one of them but not both, even my quest doesn't matter if I have to spend more than an hour with that little brat."  
  
"Now, be nice to her!" Rouge ordered "She's a cute little girl and it's her first date."  
  
"Well, yay for her." Blinx rolled his eyes   
  
"Fine, you'll take her to dinner. No fast food either."  
  
"Darn" Blinx snapped his fingers  
  
"Hey! I know! Blinx could do a magic trick!" Amy chimed in "I know I like magic."  
  
"A magician, I'm not, Amy."   
  
"No wait, I think she has an idea!" Rouge pondered "You have special powers right?"  
  
"I would advise you not to remind me" Blinx said, washing his hands "That damn cologne stench is all over me!" he scrubbed  
  
"That's the idea." Rouge turned off the faucet  
  
"Stupid creatures." Blinx mumbled ad he stuck out a hand, a paper towel floated over to him and he wiped his hands on it.  
  
"That's it!" Rouge exclaimed.  
  
"What, you didn't know you were stupid creatures?"  
  
"No! You can make something float or something like that!"  
  
"Yeah! Magic!" Amy snickered again.  
  
"You like magic, child?!" Blinx raised his hands up into the air as Amy lifted up and bumped her head on the ceiling. He chuckled to himself as he lowered her gently and she rubbed her head. Rouge went over to Amy and Amy got on her shoulders.  
  
"Okay." Rouge said shoving Blinx with one hand and holding onto Amy with the other "You're ready to go out..I think.."  
  
"Alright alright..." Blinx sighed as they walked out of the resteraunt and towards the building where Michelle had said to meet him. Lucky for them, the resteraunt wasn't very far from the end of the market place. It also wasn't very far from where they would run into Tikal..  
  
"Hey Tikal!" Amy smiled down at her from Rouge's shoulders "How'd the shopping go?"  
  
Tikal shrugged and tried to keep grib on the big box in her hands "Okay, I guess. I didn't find an individual tent but I did find a new big one, it was on sale."  
  
"Thanks, guardian." Blinx half smiled in her direction.  
  
Tikal ignored him "So where are you two off to?"  
  
"Well, we're gonna go with Blinx to his 'meeting' place." Rouge answered  
  
"I see.." Tikal snorted "Well, I should come along too, I've nothing more to do anyway."  
  
They all walked kind of awkwardly toward the building at the end of the market...at least Blinx, Rouge and Tikal did. Amy was still as cheerful as can be asking questions about what Blinx was going to do and if he was going to kiss her or not...Blinx sort of just ignored her. when he turned away to her question she'd ask if it meant yes or no. She was the only one that didn't feel the slightest bit bothered by the fact that Tikal was obviously not looking forward to what was in store for Blinx. Blinx wasn't use to being the center of attention, not like this anyway. All he was surrounded by was girls...all the time. He hadn't noticed it before, but the thought kind of made him blush, especially because he knew for sure that a girl liked him, even if Michelle was rather young. But he kept a straight face as always as they got to the building.  
  
"Oh yes, I almost forgot! Darn, I wish I woulda done this sooner!" Rouge handed him a small ear peice, including some money for the dinner bill "The money is for dinner and listen to me on the ear peice and follow my instructions, okay?"  
  
"Wait a minute, you're gonna spy on me?" Blinx looked at her with an annoyed face.  
  
"What does it matter, were you planning something?" Tikal grunted.  
  
Blinx was blushing bright red, he had never really recalled blushing before this moment "Well..I uhh...I never said well..." he fumbled with the ear peice as he tried to put it on.  
  
"Hurry up! She could be coming any minute!" Rouge peeked over the corner every once in a while, obviously paranoid   
  
"Hey, I don't have big ass ears like you, bare with me!" Blinx snapped back. He had gotten it in, and just in time too. A few seconds later Jack and Michelle walked around the corner.  
  
"Hello!" Michelle smiled and waved as she ran toward Blinx "Ready?"  
  
Blinx looked at her, trying not to seem too suprised..but he was. She had a new dress on, not to mention she smelt nice. Her eyes looked beautiful in the evening, he hadn't realized they were blue. He really didn't want to admit it, not even to himself. Maybe it was just the fact that it was a full moon, or that he was nervous..whatever it was, all he knew was that Michelle looked very pretty that night.  
  
"Umm...sure..let's get this over with." Blinx started to walk but she stayed behind, with her hand stuck out, Blinx faked an annoyed sigh and took her hand.  
  
They were only a couple of hundred feet away from the building when..  
  
STATIC! "Ahhh!" Blinx held his ear in pain. Michelle jumped back.  
  
"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly   
  
"Heh..hyeah, I'm fine." He had completely forgotten about Rouge and her ear device. He looked around and saw them nowhere, but he sure did hear Rouge's voice.  
  
"Go to the restraunt where we got you ready in the restroom. Jack said that she liked pizza before he left, and they serve it there."  
  
"Umm...hey, what do ya say we go over there?" he pointed to the restraunt that was nearby.  
  
Michelle nodded happily "Yay! I've always wanted to go there! I always smell their pizzas but we never have any money."  
  
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Blinx tried to find friendly and not intimidating..he really didn't know the difference between the two.  
  
They both sat down at a table. A friendly waiter came up to them after a short time.  
  
"Hello, and good evening." he handed each of them a menu.  
  
"Hi!" Michelle smiled.  
  
"Is this our first date?" the man smiled back.  
  
Michelle blushed and nodded  
  
Blinx sighed and nodded  
  
"Alright, well, what will you have to drink, ma'am?" The waiter took pen in hand.  
  
"I want a cola, please." Michelle asked politely as she opened the menu.  
  
"And you, sir?"  
  
"Ummm..I.." Blinx froze for a minute. He really didn't know what they had to drink, he hadn't really drank anything but water since the doctor started training him, he had to think fast. "Umm, I'll have what she's having."  
  
"Excellent choice. I'll be right back to take your order." The waiter walked off.  
  
"cerreshshh" The static from the earpeice started as Rouge was about to speak "Blinx! Say something!"  
  
Blinx saw Michelle was still looking at the menu and whispered as low as possible "Like what? Where the heck are you guys anyway?"  
  
"Cersshsh! That doesn't watter just say something to start a conversation! Like...well, something like umm, what kind of things she likes."  
  
Blinx shrugged and spoke aloud "Umm...so.."  
  
Michelle looked from behind the menu "Yes?"  
  
"Ummm...exactly...what kind of things are you into?"  
  
"What do you mean, Blinx?"  
  
Blinx wanted to run away somewhere, what DID he mean?! He needed to be guided step by step, Rouge and Amy observed this from their secluded place and took action. "What kind of music does she like?"  
  
Blinx spoke immidiatly "Well, what type of music do your prefer?"  
  
"Hmmm.." Michelle pondered as she set down her menu "When I was really little my mommy used to play me soothing classical music from this music box my grandmother gave me."  
  
Blinx was catching on and starting to make a conversation. "What did the music box look like?"  
  
"Oh, it was beautiful!" Michelle continued "It was golden and it had a pretty little balerena in the middle and she danced and danced for as long as the music went, that's really the only music I've ever cared for."  
  
The waiter approached with the two drinks, along with his pen and notepad to take down the orders.  
  
"I'll have the deluxe pepperoni pizza." She blushed, she hoped Blinx wasn't more mature and ordered some french name she'd never heard of.  
  
"I'll have the same." The orange echidna was sweating nervously, Blinx had no clue what he was doing.  
_____________________________________________________________________  
  
Tails was walking out of the train station and toward the hotel garage. He had never really thought about going down there it was a new expirience. He walked to the entrance when a car came toward him, almost hitting him. He covered his face as the headlights blinded his eyes.  
  
"Hey, kid! Get outta the way!" A man looked from outside the driver seats window, he was holding up other traffic and certain hand motions were unacceptable to him so he ran down to the garage as fast he can, followed very fast by the cars behind him, he had to jump to the side of the end of the tunnel to avoid not getting hit, these city people took driving seriously.  
  
He took the map that Sonic had givin him, if he was reading the map right, the silver statue should be right around the corner, and if he could just dig somehow through the cement he'd be out of there in no time, but when he got to where it supposedly was someone had already dug for him! Alright, he'd be out of there quicker than he thought, probably some sort of underground contruction, but oh, well. He jumped down into the hole that was dug and expected to find the secret compartment as soon as he got in, and he did. It was a dusty old box with a lock that had been cut by a torch, and when he opened it he found nothing. This couldn't be good...  
  
A skinny hand touched his shoulder "Hello.." Tails got so scared he almost jumped right out of the hole and back outside, but he stopped himself, it was a young man with a jackhammer. "Hey! You're Tails! Oh, heh, sorry if I scared you.   
  
"No, not at all I'm..I'm fine.." He took a deep brath and let it out "So, what are you guys doing here?"  
  
"Oh, some sort of pipe problem with the hotel, we should be out by tomorrow."  
  
"Oh, I see.." Tails gripped the box worriedly, these guys must have accidently lost the statue. Now there was no way of finding it!  
  
The man took the box from him. "Oh, cool, you found it."  
  
Tails looked at him confused "Wha?"  
  
"Oh, we found this OLD statue as soon as we dug into the ground, we sent it off to the museum and they said it was a priceless artifact and sent me back to find the box it was in, ya know, more artifacts."  
  
"Wait...wait.." Tails interrupted "This statue is in the museum?"  
  
"Yeah, the president himself is having a ceremony for it right now, that guy must love old artifacts and stuff, so I"ll see you around..."  
  
Tails wasn't thinking straight..it had to be just his luck that they dug it up right when he was looking for it..but he came out of his trance to notice the young man walking out of the tunnel. "Ahhh! Wait!" Tails caught up with the man "Do you mind if I take it to him?"  
  
"Oh, sure, after saving Station Square that one time, I bet the president would love it if he could see you again, go ahead." he handed him the box.  
  
Tails rushed to the museum, he had to hurry and tell the president his situation! He'd understand, he was a great guy from what Tails could tell when he awarded him the Chaos emerald for saving Station Square.  
  
The president was standing at the podium with the statue in hand giving a speech but Tails couldn't see what was going on, all the people were much taller than him, he got fed up with trying to push his way through the croud and flew up high above everyone and onto the stage where the president and the podium stood.  
  
"This statue is a symbol of.." The president paused as he saw Tails beside him "Well, look who's here! Miles Prower! He saved Station Square not too long ago, and now, he has brought us the box that we found the statue in, we can always count on you, Miles!"  
  
Tails waved and laughed uneasily as he tapped the president and whispered "Sir, you can't put that in the museum."  
  
"What?" The President looked confused "Why not?"  
  
"Well, see the end of the.." Tails stopped himself, he couldn't reveal the mission, not only did he think they would think he was crazy, but even if they did beleive him, he'd be responsible for a world of panic. "Umm, well, It...belongs to a friend of mine!"  
  
"Haha!" The executive chuckled "Well, that is humorous, but I must get on to my speech." he turned to the people and continued, babbling about the past in the present, but Tails drowned out the sound as he got a determined look on his face, if he wouldn't beleive him, he would have to tell the truth if he wanted action. "If you don't give me that statue the world is going to end!" Tails yelled.  
  
"I know, Miles! Enough games!" The President yelled back firmly as he cleared his throught and continued on with his speech, how long did it take to dedicate a statue, anyway?  
  
Tails wasn't going to take much more of this. Who was HE not to take him seriously? If Sonic was there he would be taken seriously, in fact, he would be willing to bet his life that if Sonic was there, everyone would defend him, but everyone who could hear what he said, just looked up and chuckled. He couldn't take it anymore, he hated being second bananna! The feeling made him feel so...it made him feel so..  
  
"AAARRRRGH!" Tails yelled loudly as he grabbed the statue and ran off with it, he wasn't going to be taken lightly anymore!  
  
"Stop him!!" The president yelled as he yelled at about a half a dozen officers as they ran to keep up, he figured he'd keep running until he lost them, hide for a few minutes and then take off into the air, it started to work as he ran ahead of them and hid in the alley of a couple of buildings, he started to catch his breath as he saw four pairs of legs run past him yelling and heard a female officer yell   
  
"Hurry, he ran this way!"  
  
He chuckled to himself. The rest must have gotten too tired, he even amazed himself sometimes. Well, the entire town of Station Square was going to be on the lookout for him, so he needed to get going, he started to twirl his two tails togather as he rose into the air. There was a gunshot. He looked down and two officers were down by the hotel, shooting at him with laser targeting guns. They outsmarted him. How could be be so stupid! He felt like such an idiot, however this self pity got him into trouble as a bullet was fired at just the right time to hit his right tail, he howled in pain as he plummeted to the ground.  
_____________________________________________________________________  
  
"Wow.." Michelle stared at Blinx in amazement "You were created in a laboratory?"  
  
Blinx nodded "Yes, I was born of artificial birth."  
  
Michelle smiled "Well, I need to get into science to build something like you."  
  
"It's not actually that hard really, you see the mammals reproductive egg was--"  
  
He was cut off by Michelles hand on top of his "Calm down." She giggled uneasily "It was a joke."  
  
"cerersh You idiot!" Rouge's voice screamed into his ear. "Umm...recover. ask her if she likes her food."  
  
Blinx rolled his eyes and asked in a dull tone "Do you like your food?"  
  
"Umm, oh yes, I love pizza!" Michelle took another bite of hers "And you?"  
  
"I don't like it at all. It's too greasy." Blinx answered truthfully  
  
"ceresheshsh..." It was silent, he was worried he had done something wrong the last thing he wanted was for Rouge to.."AHHHHHH!" Rouge screamed so loud Michelle thought she was hearing things and Blinx fell back in his chair.   
  
"Oh, Blinx!" Michelle leaned over the table "Are you okay?"  
  
"Umm...yes, I'm fine." He rubbed his head  
  
"Ceresh Go outside so I can have a little talk with you." Rouge said calmly, although it sounded like she was a ticking bomb.  
  
"Umm, excuse me I have to go to use the restroom." Blinx picked up his chair and pushed it in again.  
  
Blinx walked outside the door of the resteraunt while Michelle wasn't looking and found Rouge, Amy and Tikal peeping in a window, not too far from where they were sitting, they both sat down with heir backs against the wall so as not to be seen, Blinx joined them cautiously. Why was he being yelled at? It was his first date too, why wasn't he taken into consideration? His partners on his quest his quest were some of the most confusing yet beautiful creatures on the planet, Women.  
  
"What kind of an idiot are you?" Rouge clenched her teeth.  
  
"One of a kind." Tikal still had her arms crossed stubbornly.  
  
"Umm...well..I.." he stammered  
  
"Go back in there and if you are rude one more time I'm going to run in there and beat you to a pulp."  
  
It wasn't possible, he was one of the strongest beings ever created, but he didn't want to take any chances, he nodded and walked back around to the entrance.  
  
Amy had been tampering with the buttons on the walkie talkie that was used with the ear peice...but it seemed she had accidently dropped it and unfortunatly, the talk light would not come on. "Umm..Rouge.." Amy showed her the walkie talkie as she sweated nervously.  
  
"Amy!" Rouge scolded "Wait! Blinx!" She tried to catch up with him but he had just walked in the door.  
  
"Where were you?" They could hear Michelle ask.  
  
"The restroom.." Blinx answered as calmly as possible as he settled back into his seat.  
  
"But..I saw you come in through the front.." Michelle asked suspiciously.  
  
"Oh, well.." they heard him stammer..At least they could still hear if he screwed up or not, but it seemed they had lost communication at the worst time possible.  
  
Blinx was wondering why Rouge wasn't telling him anything, maybe this was her idea of teaching him not to be rude. "Umm...I saw some friends and umm..said hi.."  
  
"Oh, I see. Okay!" She went back to eating, a man came up to the table.  
  
"'ello, voud you like a long stemmed rose?"  
  
Blinx raised an eyebrow "No..I don't want a flower, thanks.."  
  
The man walked away and Michelle let out a sad sigh. He had done something wrong, he knew it. It's amazing how people work great under pressure, for as soon as he knew something was wrong, his mind snapped to a solution to his problem, he remembered Amy saying that magic was good, although his powers weren't magic, he had an idea.  
  
"I'll be right back!" Blinx shot off across to the other side of the reseraunt.  
  
"Wai..." She was too late, he was gone. She let out another sad sigh, and tried to continue with her meal.  
  
Blinx peeked around the corner to make sure Michelle wasn't looking and placed his gift in a secluded place, and walked back over.  
  
"Saw more friends...heh.."  
  
"Neato.." She half smiled.  
  
He started to concentrate but he also needed conversation "Ummm..so, why do you like pizza?"  
  
"I don't know." She sighed again and looked off to the side.  
  
There it was, a few feet away! Blinx cleared his throught "I..uhhh.." he stammered nervously "I really hope you like flowers."  
  
"Hmm?" She looked dully in the direction Blinx was looking, a red long stemmed rose was floating towards her, it was glowing with a beautiful blue aura it got closer and placed itself right in fornt of Michelle, she picked it up and smiled. "Oh...Blinx.." she started to cry, tears running down her face.  
  
Blinx's smile which had advanced from a serious glance faded to a dissapointed look as he saw her crying, he had tried, he really did.  
  
"I'm..I'm so sorry.." she sniffled. "I..I know you don't like me. Take it, it's why you're even out with me." she threw down the bracelet.  
  
"But I.." Blinx tried to speak but he was interrupted once again.  
  
"It's just...." She sniffed again and let out a sob "When I was real little, I..I..I was picked on a lot for being poor, the kids were go cruel, and I always saw girls with boyfriends and I wanted to be happy like that, every boy turned me down because of one reason of another, because I was dirty, because they were scared I had lice.." She sobbed again and buried her face in her hands.  
  
Blinx felt terrible, what had he done? This poor girl was pouring her heart out and it was all his fault. He had a right mind to let her keep the shards, it was the worst feeling he would ever feel.  
  
"My mother.." She brought her face up and spoke again "My mother used to tell me that there was someone for everybody and I beleived her. When she died me and my grandpapa were forced to live on the streets. I thought maybe..just by a little chance, that these little jewels might be the link between us, maybe it could lead to a life of happiness..but it didn't. It was all a lie, my momma's glass was always 'half full' I'm such an idiot. I just thought you'd like to know that you don't have to act like you like me anymore! Go away! You have your stupid jewels." She started to walk but Blinx pulled her arm back as calmly as he could.  
  
"Wait, Michelle. I need them for my quest and it's a very important one, it's what I was born for." He stood up to face her "and if I wasn't on this quest of mine and there was a way to stop it, I know it would be hard to leave a beautiful girl like you in a place like this."  
  
"Don't try to cheer me up." Michelle snapped as the tears slowed.  
  
"I promise, I swear to god, I will try to stay alive for the rest of my quest and If I survive, I will take you from this place, I'll come personally and take you away from all this, your grandfather too, it's not right, I agree with you. I've only known my laboratory home for the last sixteen years, but I know enough to agree with you and say it's wrong, you shouldn't have to live like this, it's unfair."  
  
"You're just saying that because you feel guilty."  
  
"No, I mean it because it's the truth." He took a step closer to her "A guy would have to be blind not to fall for a cute girl like you."  
Blinx would have been crying, her story was very sad, but he was too worried at what her reaction would be, he would soon find out.  
  
Michelle wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed herself up as their lips met. Michelle closed her eyes and relaxed.  
  
Blinx was suprised and didn't know whether to feel violated or falttered, but after all, it was his first kiss too. He might as well enjoy it. He closed his eyes and relaxed as well.  
  
It was kind of hard to stomach the responsibility of taking the emeralds from a heart broken girl, but he had to, it was his purpose in life, she left first to her grandfather who would obviously not hear the end of this until the day he died.   
  
Michelle held on to his hand as long as she could as she walked away "I'll wait all my life if I have to."  
  
"And I'll do my best to be there." Blinx smiled an entire smile, which he had never done before. She left without another word.  
  
Blinx stayed a little while longer, only a matter of a few minutes as he had to pay the bill. He walked outside, the girls were all standing and waiting for him, except Tikal who was still sitting, as soon as they saw him Rouge and Amy ran up to him and hugged him babbling about how it was the most heart warming thing they had ever seen.  
  
It wasn't long before they had teleported back to the camp sight, everyone was tired and went straight to bed, except Blinx who had to set up his tent alone, he thought about what he said to Michelle and he suprised himself that not only did he think it up as he was going along but he meant it, every word of it with all the emotion in hsii heart, although it wasn't much. He was in no means in love with the girl but she did play a few important firsts and who knew, maybe one day that kiss would grow into something else. He looked to see that he had already finished his tent and he was about to lay down to go to bed but Amy came out in her night gown, carrying her pillow and blanket.  
  
"Amy, what are you doing up?"   
  
"I..I heard a sound that sounded like wolves."  
  
"Yes, I heard the wolves too, but you'll be fine. Go off to bed."  
  
"But..I'm scared.."  
  
"Don't act like such a baby, child, I know you're more mature than that."  
  
"But, I'm real tired and what if they come and I'm too tired to move and.."  
  
"Fine!" Blinx yelled softly as to not wake anyone else "You can sleep with me, but sleep on the other side and you will NOT do this tomorrow!"  
  
"Okay!" she set her pillow and blanket next to Blinx's, ignoring his orders.  
  
Blinx sighed. He was too tired to yell at her he laid down next to her on his pillow and blanket and was facing Amy, which he didn't mean to do.  
  
"Blinx, did you mean what you said to Michelle?"  
  
There was no way out of this, her face was honestly inches away from his. But he wanted to get this off his chest. "Yes, I guess I did."  
  
"Hehe" Amy giggled "So are you in LOVE with her?"  
  
Blinx smirked and turned away from Amy "Go to bed, Amy."  
  
  
A guy would have to be blind not to fall for a cute girl like you.----Terry Bogard 


	5. The Children's Hospital Bust.

It was late night when Sonic finally decided to get up and look for the statue, he wished he'd had gotten Tails' assignment, going down in a garage wouldn't be very hard, but he had to walkaround in the stench of that godawful sewage, what a day to go digging into that shit. Not to mention it wasn't even day anymore, it was night. He lifted the top off of the manhole, which stunk and had slimy goo on it, it was awhile since he had gone in, but since the city was under a lot of renovation, he was sure it wasn't going to be pretty. He took a deep breath and jumped in.  
  
Boy, was this different from last time, last time the walls were clean and the ladders were all there but now the walls were covered with slime and smelled of bodily waste. It wasn't a pretty sight or smell but he pulled out his map and started walking, the slime sticking to his shoes. The box wasn't very far, it was only a few hundred feet from the entrance, but when Sonic got to it, he faced the same problem Tails had faced, it was gone. The only thing he could think of was that maybe some little rat creature taken it.  
  
There was really only one thing to do now, look for it, it had to be somewhere around here and what good would it do to just sit around and wait? He wondered around for some time but still, nothing turned up, he thought he had seen it but it was a toy floating in a moat of waste. He had about given up hope but he saw it, a man in a trenchcoat standing against the wall of the sewer, it didn't look as though he was poor, the tenchcoat looked brand spankin' new. He walked up to him as he looked suspicious and might know something about the golden statue.  
  
"Hey, you!" Sonic talked as he approached him. "Have you seen a golden looking statue around?"  
  
The man looked as though he turned his head Sonic's way, he couldn't tell since his face was hidden under the coat.  
  
"Yes." The man answered quickly in a very deep voice, Sonic could tell that it was being faked. "I did, it was a gold statue of an echidna, was it not?"  
  
"Well, I'm not sure. I've never seen it myself."  
  
"Go straight forward through that pipe in front of us." he pointed "Once you go through, it is there, it was washed away in a water problem the city was having."  
  
"That does it! Who the hell are you?" Sonic looked at the figure intensly, but the figure teleported out of sight.  
  
"It had to be the source behind all this!" Sonic thought as he started toward the gigantic pipe that lead through the sewer.  
  
Sonic was always one to notice that something was amiss and what it was, but this time he had the right idea but had no clue that he could have stopped the entire process of the evolution had he gone with his gut and attacked the stranger.  
  
The trenchcoat wearing stranger appeared outside cityhall and walked toward the train station.  
  
"I can't beleive how easy it is to buy time with these creatures." the evil voice talked as it through off the coat "I will be on Angel Island in no time and these idiots can't do anything about it." The bodily form of Knuckles smirked to himself as he boarded the train.  
  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
Tails banged his head against the iron bars of his cell. If only he wouldn't have gotten all bold and stupid, maybe, just maybe he could have talked reasonably with the mayor, but no, there he was, and now the statue was no doubt in place at the musuem and he...he was prisoner by law in the station swuare facility...he never knew Station Square had a jail, but they proved him wrong and now it seemed as there was no hope whatsoever to get the statue.  
  
He got tired of beating himself up and sat down on a bench on the far side of the room. He couldn't beleive it, it would be a whole different life style from now in, the life of a crook. Showers with hundreds of men, bread and water three times a day. Maybe he would get extra on his birthday? Not likely, for betraying the trust of the people of Station Square, he would be pretty much hated...damn these people held a grudge.  
  
He had to get a fair trial, but before that he had to live here for a little while, and it looked like he had been here for about half a day now, when he came to he was just lying there and his tail had been bandadged. It was a matter of waiting as long as he was strong, he'd be able to pull through this.  
  
Just then there was a clatter and he turned to see a muscular bald guard opening the cell.  
  
"Hey! Traitor!" he yelled. Tails looked back shamefully but the guard didn't show any mercy. "It's time to eat! Follow me to the eating quarters and don't pull any funny stuff!"  
  
Tails followed behind the guard with his hands behind his back as to not draw any suspisions. He hated this, it was like he was in kindergarden again, except the teacher was Mr.Clean and he was at risk of rape.  
  
The guard showed him to a line where they were serving some un-edible slop, no doubt. He was right for as he got to the front of the line they gave him what looked like a mixture of mustard, mold, corn, and hamburger meat, but he felt so hungry he could eat anything although he would have preffered his premonition of bread and water. The only plus was that he got milk, how cute.  
  
He sat down at a table with another person, they looked fairly small so he felt a little safer than if he hung around the A-team looking bunch on the other side of the room.  
  
"Hello." Tails said friendly but firmly as he sat down. "My name is--"  
  
"Miles 'Tails' Prower, good to finally meet you." The person still sat and looked down at their plate without a word.  
  
"What?" Tails looked at them confusingly "How do you know my name?" more importantly how old was this person? He sounded more pre-prubecent than Tails did.  
  
"Oh, please, who doesn't?" the figure lifted it's head, it was a fox, a female fox. She had dark brown fur, long bangs that covered her eyes and seductive eyelashes. She was about a year older than him and would be attractive if she hadn't a big blue outfit on with a long number on the back. "Tails? The ever popular teen hero who saved Station Square. How did a goodie good like yourself end up in this joint."  
  
"Umm...well it's a long story, but basicly I stole from the mayor in front of the entire town." Tails said forcing himself to eat a spoonful of the garbage they called food. "Umm..uhh..What..how...?" Tails couldn't find the words for his question, he didn't want to be too forward with a girl that was very likely cabable of murder.  
  
"Transferred." She mumbled.  
  
"Huh? What?" Tails looked around like his question wasn't answered.  
  
"You wanted to know what a woman was doing in a man's prison, well, now you know."  
  
"How did you know that?..."  
  
"I get asked all the time, it's no big deal." She pointed to his tray "You gonna eat that?"  
  
"No." Tails slid it over to her on the other side of the table. "What did you do to be transferred to an all male prison?"  
  
"Oh..." she said woofing down a big spoonful of the slop "I guess I was too violent for he girls over there....Buncha wimps. They put me in solitary confinement but even when I got out to eat I would accidently start something."  
  
"Wow..violent, arn't we?" Tails said playfully.  
  
The girl glared. "You don't know half of it."  
  
"Uhh...ok.." Tails backed off of the subject. "Hey...umm..I know I introduced myself but can I have your name."  
  
"It's almost nine o'clock. Time to go."  
  
"Please? Can you tell me your name?"  
  
She sighed annoyingly "My name is Kila Meter but everyone else calls me Tails."  
  
Tails eyes widened but before he could ask another question Kila was up and going toward the trashcan, Tails couldn't beleive it as his eyes curiously roamed down...two tails...just like him.  
  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
Sonic was getting to the end of the tunnel pipe that the strange figure had pointed to, it was very long, he had ran most of the way and still was bearly at the end, he had to be out of Station Square now, maybe two towns over. Perhaps it was a trap, he probably should have known better than to trust that strange figure but it was his only lead and with the evolution of the emeralds likely to happen at any day he really had no choice. But maybe it would pay off as he had finally gotten to the end, he jumped down and there it was, right in the middle, the golden echidna statue. This was too good to be true, it had to be a trick...but he was faster than enyone he knew, it'd be a peice of cake to jump down there and zoom off into another pipe.  
  
"Alright.." Sonic paced himself and ran in place and built up speed.  
  
After a few seconds he dashed off onto the floor in a big blue glowing sphere, bouncing everywhere, checking for a trap with the statue in hand, he finally felt the area was secure and felt it alright to land on the pip he had came in and go back to find Tails. But no sooner had he eyed to tunnel it started to back into the wall, the edge moving from Sonics reach, it would have been a sinch to jump onto the pipe anyway, but a problem arose that wouldn't make that easy, out of thin air, three of the biggest boa contricters and hundreds and hundreds of poisonous snakes fell to the ground, he couldn't even scream before he was bitten and squeezed out of concousnous.  
  
The bodily figure of Knuckles hovered over the lifeless Sonic as the venomous devils bit him and the bigger ones wrapped around him.  
  
[Stop! No more! Leave him alone] Knuckles screamed from inside the evils head.  
  
"Oh, you thin khe's had enough?" The eyes of Knuckles' body shined with a bright red and all the snakes dissapeared. "He could have stood more, but it will be ten times more fullfilling when I can kill him personally." he dissapeared in a slow transperent teleport, leaving Sonic alone and near death, luckily for him, it wouldn't be long before someone found him.  
  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
It was morning and Blinx was packing for the girls who had fallen asleep trying to pack their backpacks, it was a waste buying all these supplies if they weren't going to use them, Amy as suspected had kicked him all night and he was forced on the other, colder side of the tent, which was mainly the reason he had gotten up so early.  
  
But it was late already, to him anyway. By the watch he had bought in the market place it was time to get ready and move forward, these lucky fools if they hadn't the help of him they would have to walk everywhere, his Chaos Control was more effective and powerful than he had thought. There were times when he had to hold back and not go crazy because of the immense power he felt, it would make an awesome defense weapon when the final battle came.  
  
To his suprise the girls were slumping around trying to find which pack was theirs, amazing how they got up without him noticing but he had noticed some changes in these few over the last couple of days, it was funny when he thought about it, they were scared of him. But he wouldn't hurt any of them for anything, he was starting to like all three of them...well two of them...he felt something...different towards the past guardian. He would, however, use this 'fear' of him as a plus on the work side, if he said to get something done they'd do it...except for the minor occasion of Rouge and her half-assed obsession with first dates and Hallmark moments. But that was just the one thing that pushed that girl over the edge...that's on thing he would never understand..women..  
  
"Where we going?" Rouge yawned  
  
Blinx was about to answer but Tikal was obviously as focused as him "A town up north." Tikal grumbled as she slipped on her sandles.. "I can feel the faint power of the emeralds there."  
  
"Ummm..err..right." Blinx stuttered.  
  
Tikal kneeled down and tapped Amy "Hey, wake up sleepy head."  
  
Amy groaned and turned over on her side. "herrmm...five more minutes..."  
  
"HEY!" Blinx yelled "It's enough you bugged the hell out of me because you couldn't handle the plain sound of the wolves howling now GET UP BEFORE I GET MAD!"  
  
Amy scrambled to her feet, got together her clothes and ran into the other tent to get dressed.  
  
Tikal giggled "I see her leg is feeling better."  
  
Blinx sneered. "Even if it wasn't I'd make her walk the rest of the pain off."  
  
Amy stumbled out of the tent hald asleep and with one shoe on and one in her hand. "Don't scare me like that! That was a horrible way to wake me up!"  
  
"It was the only way to wake you up." Blinx pulled on his backpack. "Don't be lazy anymore you're walking now, your little fluke of a find is done and gone. Now lets get going."  
  
They all held hands in a chain once more as Blinx shouted Chaos Control. This was it, the last peices of the emerald. The journey was almost at an end.  
  
The teleport ended in a very big city. It was the most commercial town any of them had ever seen, there were resteraunts and street shows and a big square where all the action was going on. Not to mention buildings. Oh yes, lots and lots of big beautiful buildings.  
  
"Wow!" Tikal squeeled as she leaped into the air happily, following the rest of the group as she landed "It's so liveley here! Look at all the people!"  
  
"Listen, Tikal. This isn't like the last town, there's homeless people left and right and you can't help all of them." Blinx stated seriously as he glared directly in front of him to intimidate any unwanted attention.  
  
"You...you mean more like Jack and Michelle?" She asked worriedly. She was obviously comftorable with talking about Michelle now.  
  
"Yes, exactly like them. Some worse." Blinx said recalling the night before. "Umm..Oh! And you two!" he motioned to Rouge and Amy. "Stay close I know these cities there's some sort of pervert waiting to mug and or rape you."  
  
"Oh!" Rouge growled. "Are you saying that I don't have what it takes to take care of myself?! Besides, what do you care?"  
  
"I didn't say you weren't capable of self defense, I'm just saying don't take any chances, okay?" Blinx stopped dead in his tracks followed immidiatly by Tikal. Rouge and Amy continued waling a few feet before they noticed the two in the middle of the sidewalk.  
  
"Umm...are you two coming?" Rouge asked as she cocked an eyebrow.  
  
"Don't tell me you're idiotic enough not to notice what's going on!" Blinx snapped.  
  
"Calm down. They don't know." Tikal turned and smiled in their direction. "It's just that we can sense the emerald right here."  
  
"Ooooh!" Amy and Rouge nodded.  
  
"Well...where is it?" Amy asked curiously, looking around.  
  
Blinx out a hand on his forehead and sighed. "That's just it. The emeralds are somwhere around this space, we can feel it very strong."  
  
"Okay...That doesn't make any sense..." Amy dug through her bag, looking for a thermometer for Blinx.  
  
"Don't bother, Amy. Look, the emeralds are somewhere in these buildings or in the shops on the sidewalk, and the strongest signal possible is what Tikal and I are sensing right now." He pointed out the four buildings that made a square around them.  
  
"Yes.." Tikal sighed sadly. "Needless to say our sixth sense for the master emerald is useless in this case, it's a matter of a little treasure hunt."  
  
"So...live up to your name, treasure hunter." The serious echidna's stern look turned into a playful grin as he poked her.  
  
"Ahh!" Rouge jumped from suprise as she had been admiring her surroundings. "Don't do that!"  
  
"haha." Blinx smiled. "Capable of self defense my ass."  
  
"You..You.." Tikal pointed at Blinx.  
  
"It's rude to do that ya know." he pointed back at her.  
  
"No.." Tikal's words caught up with her. "You smiled!"  
  
"What? It's a crime? People do it all the time." He adjusted his backpack. "Okay, me and Amy will go to the two on the left and Tikal, you and Rouge on the right. We'll meet back in an hour, if we come back empty handed, we'll check the market, okay?"  
  
They all nodded and walked off to their destination.  
  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
Kila was pushed outside by the hands of a guard to what looked like an outdoor gym for inmates but she was used to it. Walking out here and seeing the big hunky guys lifting weights, sometimes they tried to impress her. But she personally hated weight lifting, no skill or strategy, just strength. A man could lift from the day he was born and be the strongest in the world and not know how to fight, she was pretty sure she could take them on..no..she knew she could take the ALL on. At once too. These big idiots were nothing compared to the psycho fights she had seen in the female prison.  
  
But she guessed that was why it wasn't very risky to transfer her to a place like this, but it felt real lonely being in that big deserted part of the jail by herself..no roomie..not even a bitch to yell at across the hall, it was way worse than solitary confinement but concerning the crime she was found guilty off of who could blame them for wanting to torture her.  
  
Finally she spotted Miles who she had been looking for ever since she had been pushed out, he was sitting on a bench by himself, she might as well go talk to him. She couldn't trust him, but he was the only male there that wasn't trying to get into her knickers.  
  
She walked over to him and sat down next to him. "Hello there, Miles."  
  
Tails sprung up. "Oh! Kila! Umm...good to see you again."  
  
"So, why arn't you pumping iron like the rest of these idiots?"  
  
Tails laughed. "Me? Lift? Now THAT'S funny."  
  
"Boy, are you a wimp. How do you expect to get a girlfriend with scrawny arms like that?"  
  
Tails sighed "I have more than girls to worry about right now."  
  
"Oh.." Kila stared off of his arms. "Sorry about that."  
  
"It's not fair..I did what I did because I had to..it was for the good of everyone."  
  
"I don't know what it's like to admit to the crime and think it's not fair." Kila's tails followed by her ears slumped down as she thought about it. "But I know where you've coming from...I didn't commit my crime so don't get me started on fairness."  
  
"What were you commited of?"  
  
Kila was silent for a few seconds before she answered. "...attempted murder." Tails jumped in suprise but she had more. "It was my little sister..she got into crime at a very young age, she stabbed an old women when she was eleven and I was there..I let it happen...when the police came, she ran and I was left alone. I loved her so much I thought she would change her ways if I took the heat but it didn't work...she got killed a year later and here I am..I was charged as an adult when I was thirteen."  
  
Tails saw a tear streak down her face so he tried to comfort her. "Wow...for what it's worth I'm sorry.."  
  
Kila recovered from her tear of sorrow cery fast. "Hey! haha...don't tell anyone 'cause..ya know..it makes me intimidating, if you tell anyone I'll kick your ass." she winked.  
  
Tails laughed, but only because it would hopefully lift her spirits but it looked as if it was time to shower for the evening as the guards called them back. Tails got up to walk but Kila pulled his arm back and forced him to sit back down, he didn't want to mess with someone he didn't really trust that was found guilty of attempted murder, it was then that he remembered why he had wanted to see Kila so bad...her tails..  
  
"Hey, Kila.." he started but she put a hand up in front of him and she shut up he soon saw why, the same guard that had been pushing him around earlier was coming towards them.  
  
"Let's go Tails, you too traitor!"Tails looked confused as he thought he had been adressed twice but he soon caught on.  
  
"Well, hello Robert, hows that bald ass head of yours?" Kila stood up and patted his head.  
  
"Enough games, Tails let's go, it's time for showering."  
  
"Oh, surely you can't seperate me from by boyfriend." She clung to Tails. Tails at this point wasn't blushing...he was glowing a bright red,  
  
"Don't be stupid, you know males are forbidden on your side, now let's go." Robert pulled her by the arm and started dragging her. "You too, traitor!" he started walking.  
  
"What about the first week I was here?" Kila said with a sly grin, Robert stopped dragging. "Oh, let us refresh our memory...see what I remember is you and that bulky guy Eddie in the restroom during my shower..and.."  
  
"Ok! Ok!" Robert shouted nervously and looked around for witnesses. "After shower I'll bring him over."  
  
"Hmm...No..I don't like that...he'll come to my cell right now, shower and bunk with me tonight." She said pulling her arm away.  
  
"Now, wait a minute!" Robert yelled pulling her arm yet again. "That's too far! No!"  
  
"Need I remind you, not only did you sexually abuse an inmate but you came in on me during my shower..how low can you go?" Robert simply growled as he led them to the abondoned cells in Kila's part of the prison, Tails was still trying to figure out why he felt so warm and why the hell Kila wanted to do all this.  
  
They were led into the shower and Robert stood outside the door. "You have five minutes." She pushed them both in, Kila had a chance to pick up her shampoo and towel..Tails had nothing at all, he hadn't had a chance yet to work community service to buy anything. Besides he didn't want to invade her privacy and he wasn't really that dirt so he stood at the wall and let her shower.  
  
Kila thought his innocent boy attitude was funny, any man would kill to be with a woman in there instead of the only option of a man for..that. But he was who he was and she liked it, she knew she could trust him now, the only problem was that he didn't trust her.  
  
She came out with a towel around her and Tails walked her to the door and out. Robert led them to her cell and locked them in for the night.  
  
"You two know I can't come get you for supper, you'll get caught." He walked away.  
  
Kila chuckled. "I'm gonna black mail that fudge packer as long as I'm in here."  
  
"Uhhh..Kila..Why did you..do this?"  
  
"Hold on.." She took off her towel and Tails turned around almost instantly. She got into her clothes again as fast as she could. "You can turn around now, idiot."  
  
"Why do you do that? And why did you do ALL of this?"  
  
"Look at me...is there anything wrong with me?" Tails looked around innocently but she grabbed his two hands and made him face her. "Well?"  
  
"Umm...I..no not at all."  
  
"Don't tell me you need to give me your varsity jacket before we can hold hands."  
  
"Leave me alone!" Tails whined. "Besides, why do you ask?"  
  
"Tell me how is it YOU can fly and I can't?! We both have the same freakish tails! Tell me!"  
  
"Well..I learned how to fly..."  
  
"Can you teach me??"  
  
"Sure, I don't see why not, but why?"  
  
"Because, did you notice that barbed wire fence around the outside place where all the weight lifting was going on?"  
  
Tails nodded.  
  
"Well, I've seen guys risk life and limb trying to climb that thing and always get caught, I always thought maybe if they could fly...then I heard about you. The men have a TV in their main cell and saw the news so I had to eavesdrop to get the information about you beating Dr.Eggman. They had a video. You were flying all over the place, and that's when I noticed we were alike. I wanted to get to you before you did what I thought you would do. Listen, next time we go out we can both fly over that fence and we can fly away as a team! Whataya say?"  
  
"Under any other circumstances I would.." Tails lowered his head. "But I can't risk it right now. I have a chance to explain my case to the president himself tomorrow and I could also explain your case! We could get out legally, just give me that chance if not I'll come back and we can run off."  
  
"But what if you get free and they don't beleive you about me?"  
  
"Okay, I'll teach you tonight but you gotta promise not to use it until the day after tomorrow."  
  
"Okay..but one more thing how are you going to convince them?"  
  
"I..I don't know..I'll think of something."  
  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
Rouge and Tikal ran down the stairs of the second building they had checked to tell Blinx the news about the emeralds, they had already been fifteen minutes late but it was too good of a lead, they had to go check it out.  
  
Blinx and Amy were sitting on the sidewalk waiting for them. Blinx felt he hadn't looked his hardest since Amy kept him from rampaging through the halls, nobody could stop him, but it was best to keep a low profile.  
  
Rouge was the first to get to them. "Wh--white building.." She got on her knees gasping for air.  
  
"What about it? Did you find the emeralds?" Blinx eyed her worriedly. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Oh, she just got excited when we found out about the good news." Tikal helped her up. "We have a good lead as to where the last of the emeralds might be."  
  
"Well?" Amy asked.  
  
"Well.." Tikal started "Rouge and I were searching that building up there and it turned out to be a hospital of some kind, it's a new childrens hospital and it's the first of it's kind."  
  
"Well that was useless, let's go search the market." Blinx got up but Rouge made him sit down again.  
  
"If you wouldn't interrupt you would know! Go on Tikal."  
  
"It just so happens that that hospital is the first hospital ever to run on crystolic fusion which means that it just might be the reason we're sensing the emerald so strong."  
  
"Hmm.." Blinx pondered "But on the other hand it could be just a hospital running on big ass batteries. However it's the best and only lead we have."  
  
Blinx and Amy went into the hospital alone to look less suspisious. If worse came to worse they'd have to steal the emeralds.  
  
They both walked up to the desk and Blink rang the bell at the desk.  
  
"Hello, are you checking in?" the nurse at the desk asked then looked at Amy. "This little girl doesn't look sick."  
  
"Umm..err.." he stammered "My little sister and I would like to see how the hospital works."  
  
"She's your little sister."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"...She's a hedgehog."  
  
"She's my step sister! Got a problem?"  
  
"Umm...no...not at all.." The nurse eyed them suspiciously "Someone take over the desk!" she called to the back of her. "I'm going to give a tour.."  
  
The nurse led them to an underground basement which contained a specially designed container that had a green glow to it..it was the master emerald, he was sure of it now.  
  
"My name is Wendy Matin, I am the co-discoverer of this crystolic fuision that runs the childrens hospital."  
  
"Matin?" Blinx asked curiously. "I know you, you were head of fire arm research before the facility exploded."  
  
"You know about that? Who are you?"  
  
"I was an expiriment conducted by Dr.Eve and Sara.."  
  
"Sara? Oh...Sara..poor sara and not to mention Doctor Eve, they were the only few in the building when it exploded...and you were the doomsday defense project, were you not?"  
  
"Yes, but listen we need the crystolic fusion that runs this hospital it plays a great role in Doctor Robotniks premonition of the end of the world."  
  
"No. Go away!" She screamed.  
  
Amy was as confused as she could be right now, she had no clue what they were talking about.  
  
"What do you mean no?! I'm very powerful!" Blinx yelled "If you don't hand those emeralds over I'll have no choice but to take them by force!"  
  
"You don't understand!" Wendy cried. "Some children are on life support here if you take this away they could die."  
  
Blinx noticed the earrings on her ear. They were diamonds, enough to hold the hospital for twenty-four hours. He grabbed them from her ear almost instantly and threw it into the container with the emeralds. "Amy, go outside. NOW!"  
  
Amy ran as fast as she could down the stairs to the street below.  
  
Blinx ran to the container and grabbed all but the two earrings out of it. It was the last of the master emerald alright. "You have twenty-four hours to find a new source of energy."  
  
"No! Please!" Wendy begged. "You don't know what your doing."  
  
"It's not my fault, it's yours for using emeralds that don't belong to you and getting these childrens hopes up."  
  
Blinx ran down the stairs, when he got there dozens of police were waiting for him, he grabbed the three girls in his arms as fast as he could and shouted Chaos control before anyone could get to them.  
  
They appeared back to the camp site. Rouge and Tikal were clueless as to what happned but Amy had a vauge idea.  
  
"Blinx.." Amy stuttered "Did you take the emeralds from those kids."  
  
"What?" Tikal walked over to him. "You..didn't...steal those..did you? You know what'll happen...the kids will die."  
  
Blinx through his bag to the side and sat down in the spot he was standing. "I gave them jewels to last four one more day, either they find a soulution or not."  
  
"Oh, my god.." Rouge put a hand up to her mouth. "Blinx..how could you be so heartless?"  
  
Blinx turned around sharply with a mean scowl on his face. "Listen, treasure hunter! I understand those childrens positions but if we don't get these back as soon as possible, the world could end! I personally think that a few mere lives are enough to spare for an entire planet!"  
  
He stormed off into the forest without another word, none of the girls stopped him, they just stood there for a very awkward silence. That is until Amy spoke up.  
  
"You...you guys?"  
  
Tikal and Rouge looked over to her. She had a radio in her lap.  
  
"Where did you get that?" Rouge asked.  
  
"I..Blinx bought it for me when we were waiting for you, but that's besides the point, listen." They all leaned in to listen as Amy tried to turn it up as loud as possible.  
  
"A mysterious person or persons has robbed the new Matin Childrens hospital of it's source of power, the mystical freen jewels found just days ago, they have twenty four hours and all they can do is pray...and now for the sports new we go to our news corrispondent--" they clicked off the radio and had no choice but to start cooking supper.  
  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
It was very late night when Blinx finally walked back into the camp site. He couldn't beleive what he had done, it would set them back very far. The first thing to do is find Sonic and Tails and see if they had found the loophole of theirs, if they couldn't find them the only other option was too completely destroy the master emerald, but he didn't really know how to go about that.  
  
He walked up to see that there was a fire going but the girls were nowhere in sight. He got worried for a second but then checked into the tent for them and took a much needed sigh of relief and walked from the tent to the fire not noticing that he woke Tikal.  
  
When he got to the fire he found a plate of food, it was warm as it had been set by the fire, even when he was a heartless bastard these girls had cared enough to leave out a meal.  
  
"Blinx?" Blinc turned around quickly to see Tikal standing on the outside of her tent. "Blinx? You're back?"  
  
"Tikal...yes, I'm back..what are you doing up so late?"  
  
"I was worried about you and if you were okay."  
  
"Well, thanks. But nothing short of the hand of god is going to put a scratch on this echidna."  
  
"Blinx...where did you go?"  
  
"I had to go think...and run an errand."  
  
"Errand?"  
  
"It's nothing..really..."  
  
"What did you do with your copy of the Chaos emerald?"  
  
"What..what are you talking about?"  
  
"When you left I could sense the emerald just fine..I can't sense it anymore."  
  
"I..I lost it, that's all."  
  
"Don't lie to me, I know when people lie."  
  
"Fine, if I don't tell you you'll reveal it...I gave my emerald to Doctor Matin at the childrens hospital."  
  
"Oh, Blinx...that is so sweet..I knew you had a big heart."  
  
"Tikal..do me a favor and don't tell Rouge and Amy..I don't want or need any recognition."  
  
"You're so stubborn..still you've changed immensly since I first met you a few days ago.."  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
"When I first met you you were like a zombie or minion of someone..but I knew you were warm hearted when you decided to let us go through with this mission. A heartless person would have killed Knuckles on the spot...but not you."  
  
"Yes, well..I had just gone through something big."  
  
"Big?"  
  
"My creators had just died...they were like my mother and father I just..I felt where they were coming from."  
  
"Oh..Blinx I'm sorry."  
  
"No it's okay. Like I said I don't want any recognition for anything."  
  
"Another thing is Michelle...that was the most sentimental thing I had ever seen..you really have no idea how..."  
  
"Before you go on..I have a confession to make...she wasn't really the one I had in mind for my first kiss."  
  
"Huh?" Tikal blushed.  
  
"I thought of sharing my first kiss with the girl I first held hands with."  
  
They both leaned into eachother and kissed quickly and softly.  
  
"I..I gotta go to bed.." Tikal stammered and walked fastly to her tent.  
  
He had done it. The sweetest girl..the only girl he ever felt any romantic affection for was scared away...he had moved too fast..not to mention Michelle..anyone could have been mislead by that..he slowly walked to his tent and tried to go to bed. He didn't get one wink of sleep that night.  
  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
Tails took a silenced seat in front of the president himself in a secluded roo with two chairs and a table, it was morning and Robert had shook him out of sleep and snuck him back to the male part of the prison so the president could speak to him.  
  
"Uherm..Miles..." The president started. "You will not get a trial."  
  
"WHAT?!" Tails yelled. "Why?!"  
  
"Becuase you will testify to me right now..why Miles? Why?"  
  
"Mr. President, I need that statue to enter a very inportant ancient temple. Sonic is looking for the other one and without this one we can't get in! If we don't get in the world will end!"  
  
"That's a very farfetched story, Miles."  
  
"I know it is! But you gotta beleive me!"  
  
"I must be crazy to beleive you..the only reason I'm going to let this slide is because I trust you." he set the statue in front of Tails.  
  
"Thank you! Thank you so much! I gotta go.." He remembered Kila and the promise he made to her. "M--Mr. President?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"There's one more thing...it's very important its about an inmate here..I found out about her innocense.."  
  
"Her? You can't mean Kila...the girl who was found guilty of attempted murder?"  
  
"Yes...umm..I.." he paused and thought for sure this is what he wanted to do. "She's Innocent"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I know it sounds crazy but she is! She can't be the mean person she's thought to be, she says so!"  
  
"She would, Miles."  
  
"No! She really.."  
  
"Miles...it took a lot to get you out of here. Please...just leave without another word on this."  
  
"But.." Tails stammered.  
  
"GO, MILES! GET OUT!" The President yelled.  
  
Tails sat on the steps of the Station Square police station...he felt kinda bad. The President DID help him a lot and he just seemed ungrateful...but he knew now what he had to do.  
  
Tails stood on the roof of the Hotel that night so he could get a good over view of the fence so he could fly over. He had camoflage on. He couldn't risk getting caught this time. He had to get Kila in and out as fast as possible.  
  
He flew high above the fence so that the spotlights couldn't catch him, it was getting cold and he was running out of air so he landed softly on the dirt of the 'outdoor weight room.' He walked up to the doorand touched the handle..just then and alarm went off, blaring and he soon heard voices.  
  
"An inmates escaping!" One said.  
  
Tails knew this was it. This is what would seperate him from Sonic for the rest of his life. This wasn't a dispute against Eggman. This was an epic run in with the law and the girl he, for the first time in his life, ever had feelings for besides Amy and Rouge who were just friends in the first place...he used his shoulder to ram into and break down the door it was one of the worst pains he would ever felt, had he been paying attention. He ran and ran to Kila's section of the jail..he got there and there was a guard. Without hesitating he ran up to the guard Kila had teased before and slashed him with his Tails, taking his keys and opening Kila's cell.  
  
"Let's GO!"  
  
Kila stared at him. "Who the hell are you?" She squinted to identify him in the dark  
  
"It's Miles! Please we gotta get outta here!"  
  
He grabbed her by the hand and started out the way he came back in and ran and ran through the halls. It seemed just too easy to be able to do this!..Until they got outside to the fence and saw four guards.  
  
"Kila!" One said. "Get back in."  
  
Kila smirked. "You're gonna have to have fantasies about someone else now, hun." She yelled, the alarm still blaring.  
  
Tails grunted under his breath. "Nobody's taking her away from me." He grabbed Kila's hand again. "You remember how I taught you?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
They both flew together over the fence and ran as fast as their legs could carry them.  
  
It was dawn before they stopped running. They were a few miles from Station Square when the finally realized they were both free and hugged.  
  
"You came back for me!" She smiled at him.  
  
Tails shrugged and smirked. "Yeah, well, I was bored."  
  
"I..I can't thank you enough."  
  
"Ah, it's okay...I just wish we could spend more time together but...I got that thing."  
  
She put a finger on his lips. "Shh...I know." She kissed him softly. "I'll stay near so we can see eachother again after you're through.  
  
Without another word she flew off into the distance.  
  
"...and I can't wait to find you." He smiled to himself  
  
Tails had bigger things to worry about now. All girls aside, he was off to the mystic ruins to find Sonic.  
  
_____________________________________________________________________  
  
Sonic awoke in a hospital bed with doctors surrounding him. It was blurry at first but he focused and saw all the doctors. There were two males and one female.  
  
"He's awake." one of the males stated. "Hello, Sonic."  
  
"Huh..wha?" Sonic mumbled. "My head is throbbing."  
  
"That's to be expected, it took us hours to remove all that venom from your system." the female doctor started to fill a shot.  
  
"Wait...what? Where's..THE STATUE!"  
  
"Don't worry we got the statue that was found with you, Sonic." The other male put on some latex gloves. "It's over there on the desk."  
  
Sonic jumped out of his bed, ripping any machine that was in him out.  
  
"Sonic! No!" The girl yelled "You need to recover!"  
  
"Have you done all that you could do to me?"  
  
"Yes." All three answered at once.  
  
Sonic grabbed some wrapping bandages and ran out the door. The all knew they were helpless to stop him so they let him go.  
  
... 


	6. The Evolution

Tails got to the Mystic Ruins fairly fast. Faster than he normally would since he was so excited about entering the temple. But a few hours had already passed and to his dismay...Sonic hadn't showed up yet.  
  
He just stood there as he waited. Thinking about how Kila was doing and how everything would be okay after they were done with all this, however he knew that somehow in the near future they'd be in a different jam in a more adventerious nature. There was one thing that made him mad, however. He was at a prison with mostly adults and he could sort of understand why Kila was charged as an adult but why was he? He had to talk to the president soon..this wasn't making him very happy.  
  
Before he could get anymore pissed at his injustice Sonic ran up, sloppily wrapped in bandages which were fairly soaked in blood.  
  
"Tails...got--the--statue.." he breathed heavily.  
  
Tails picked up the statue he sat down by the steps and smiled.  
  
Sonic smirked and held up the statue that was already in his hand.  
  
"Hey, Sonic!" Tails playfully got into a running pose. "Race ya!"  
  
"Uhh..heh...we'd better not Tails..."  
  
Tails calmed down and his challenging smile faded. "Oh, sorry."  
  
"It's okay..let's just...walk up the stairs."  
  
They both started up the stairs at a slow pace as Sonic was slightly limping but he still went with as much effort as he could without immense pain.  
  
When they finally got up to the top they both at the same time triumphantly raised the statues above their heads and set them in the designated place...nothing happened..  
  
"No!" Tails sobbed "No no NO!"  
  
"I..umm..hey..." Sonic put a hand on his shoulder. "Be strong, Tails there must be someth---aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"  
  
Sonic let out a yell of suprise as did tails as the ground lit up and disapeared beneath them and they fell into what seemed like a bottomless pit.  
  
It wasn't as they had thought, it was a very deep pit but they landed on very hard rock, oddly without a scratch on them. Other than the ones already received, of course.  
  
It was a room that they felt was somewhat familiar. It was a gigantic room with a little pond around the entire room about four inches deep with a couple of switches in the room. The wall was mysteriously divided up into seperate blue squares. However, the search would not take as much effort as they had thought.  
  
Sonic felt one of the switches in the middle of the four inch pond meant something, he stepped on one and to their suprise, the wall rumbled and rubble fell in certain places, this place was certainly old...but after it was all done nothing had happned but the blue squares moving closer together.   
  
Sonic sighed. "Hey, I'm going to go check over here."  
  
Sonic went off to the left but Tails looked at the switch he had pressed before. It looked different..it looked weaker than before...maybe the switch had beem pushed to it's limit...hell he might as well.  
  
He stepped on the switch but it didn't press down, it seemed that he was too light he started to get agressive with it and pretty much bodyslammed it with all his might. His shoulder was pretty badly briused but there it went..it was moving again..nothing happned.  
  
He kicked water to the side and shouted words he had only heard before. Sonic who was on the other side of the room, examining another button heard Tails' wails of profanity and ran over to see what was the matter.  
  
"Yo, Tails!" he jogged over with pain. "Ugh..." he panted. "What's wrong?"  
  
"This fucking peice of crap won't work!" Tails shouted as he kicked it.  
  
"Tails! Calm down!" Sonic yelled. "We'll find something, just give it time!"  
  
"I don't want to give it---" Tails looked at the switch..it had crumbled when he kicked it...and the wall was now moving. The squares moved together and formed a line...the line lit up all the circles in the middle of the squares..  
  
"This has happned before.." Sonic remembered "It has to have had..."  
  
But then, something happned that was unexpected to all of them. The line of squares exploded and another room was revealed after the dust from the rubble cleared...a light was shining.  
  
Without thinking Tails grabbed Sonic, reved up and flew up into the room. It was a treasure chest with no lock..just a treasure chest..  
  
Tails opened up the trasure chest which had an outline of pure gold which illuminated the entire room it was so bright. He looked inside and there was a scroll. He unrolled it and found only characters that were very blurred and hard to make out but he read aloud so Sonic could hear.  
  
"If anyone of any nature should find this scroll after putting forth an effort to find it will find it's information helpful. The only way to get rid of the evil is to give the present guardian a drink of These ingrediants that thou will find at the bottom of this scroll. They must be found and mixed together with the closest water to the temple...I only pray to the gods that you can help..without this potion..even I who have lived eons from now..will never have existed.."  
  
Sonic and Tails looked at eachother and nodded. But all of a sudden the room turned a bright red. The scroll started to float and placed itself in front of them in mid air..it crumbled. But before they could react a wave of fire came over them and they couldn't remember anything else.  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
Knuckles' form let his arms down to his sides.  
  
"Those fools almost found out." It muttered.  
  
[They WILL find out, I swear, you'll pay!] Knuckles had tried with his best effort to get back to the outside of his body but..he could only if the other party was willing and this party was anything but willing. The only thing that could save him now was that mixture of herbs.  
  
"I will summon them before they can find out anything else, guardian." It spoke with an evil tone. Knuckles listened as he muttered some very strange sounding words, words he was pretty sure he had heard before...  
  
He was half right, the evil was speaking the ancient language of his people but he probably had never heard his incantation which proved to be real as soon as he realized all seven Chaos emeralds float onto the island.  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
Blinx was stacking up firewood where the fire would be lit, they had planned to stay an extra day. Although he would rather have gone on with his life after last night and scaring Tikal away, there was just something about her. But oh, well, the girls seemed to be having fun and that's all that really mattered to him, they'd eat s'mores and be friendly instead of business partners anymore. That's what he'd wanted and the girls were out buying the food.  
  
He jumped in suprise and practically fell over when two figures fellonto the campsite out of nowhere. He thought it was just two dead birds and was moments away from stabbing them dead for a hot meal tonight..but closer examination revealed that the two corpses were Sonic and Tails, they looked a little injured but still in stable condition, Tails was just tired. Sonic looked as if he was bleeding to death so he bandaged him up right along with a splint on his right leg which seemed to be twisted.  
  
Sonic awoke at late evening, he saw himself bandaged neatly and Blinx sitting nearby. "YOU!" he screamed "You did this! I thought we could trust you!"  
  
"Calm down, idiot you guys just fell out of the sky." Blinx pointed over to Tails "He's going to be sleeping for a bit longer."  
  
Sonic sat up. "Geez, I felt like a truck just ran over my head."  
  
"Well go back to bed, dumbass." Blinx started to brew up a few with some thing twigs and a match. "When Tikal gets back we're gonna be eating so I'll wake you two up then."  
  
"Tikal? Whoa-ho where's Amy and Rouge on this one?" Sonic smirked. His head was hurting but he still felt that smart remarks could be made.  
  
Blinx wanted to beat himself for making the mistake in his remark. "Oh..they're...with..Tikal.."  
  
"Then why did you only say Tikal, you got a thing for her?"  
  
"I don't think that's any of your business, hedgehog, go back to sleep!"  
  
"SO you do? Oh, my god you tried to put the moves on Tikal. I guess it was bound to happen while around all those girls."  
  
"Leave me alone!"  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
Rouge, Amy, and Tikal were only a few minutes away from the camp site with a bag full of Junk food.  
  
"You're kidding me.." Rouge asked Tikal as she snaked on a candy bar. "Why did you do that?"  
  
"I..I...I didn't know what else to do.." Tikal answered shyly.  
  
"He's a sweet guy I don't see why not." Rouge chucked. "Don't you like him?"  
  
"Well..yes I do..." Tikal sighed. "Please..Rouge..I'd rather not.."  
  
"Yeah, he's dreamy when he wants to be." Popped in Amy cheerfully as always.  
  
"You don't understand." Tikal shook her head. "It wouldn't work...he can't come with me to the past and I can't stay here."  
  
"Oh..I see...well...uhh.." Rouge shut up as they walked into the light of the fire in the campsite, Sonic and Blinx didn't see them for awhile..  
  
"Jewelery?" Blink asked curiously.  
  
"Sure! With Jewels it's in the bag!"  
  
"Well she is a..--" Blinx looked over to see the three girls. "P-princess Tikal! Amy! Rouge! Welome back!"  
  
They all stood in place in shock as they could hear the crickets chirping in the silence of the night.  
  
"Is that...Sonic?" Amy stuttered.  
  
"Hey Amy!" Sonic waved  
  
"You big dummy!" Amy ran over and bonked him on the head. "You could have invited me but nooo I was here scared to death half the time and...Oh..uh-heh" She eyed Blinx who tried not to look like his feelingd were hurt. Although they weren't very badky "..but Blinx turned nice now and he's nicer than you now, so there!"  
  
"Sonic! How?" Rouge asked in amazement.  
  
"I don't know..." Sonic thought.  
  
"AHHHH! NO!! NO!" They heard a scream. It was Tails. He was laying on his back pointing and screaming. They looked at him first and it looked like he had gone mad but when they looked at what he was pointing at it was clear...it was Knuckles, or so they thought."  
  
"You..You guys." The evil disguised his voice as Knuckled. "They almost got me but I broke out of Tails' jail!"  
  
"Impossible..I tested it on some of the Chaos emeralds...how?" Tails stopped and realized but Rouge was still glad to see Knuckles.  
  
"Oh, Knuckles!" She ran over to him to hug him. "I'm so happy to see you!" She squeezed him tightly. "We have all the peices and now we can go home!"  
  
"Rouge! No!" Tails yelled but it was too late.  
  
"That's all I needed to know." The voice converted back to evil.  
  
"It can't be!" Blinx screamed. "NO! NOT NOW!"  
  
"HYA!" Knuckles raised up a hand forcefully and all the peices came together to form the green master emerald..but it was fading..it was blinking darker and darker each second until it was the only completely black gigantic gem they had ever seen. The emerald raised above their heads and there was a flash of white light.  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
They all landed safeley on Angel Island which was floating dispite the emerald not being in it's place. It was over looking Station Square.  
  
"It was the funnest thing, watching you idiots try your hardest only to find out your efforts will prove USELESS!" Knuckles enlarged into a gigantic Echidna that was covered in shadow with big black glowing eyes. He was crying himself to death on the inside but on the outside..he wasn't even him.  
  
They all looked upon him in horror, he was as big as the island itslef.  
  
"There has to be a way!" Tails cried.  
  
"NO! THERE'S NO WAY! NOBODY ASK ME, DO YOU HEAR THAT?!" Blinx glared at everyone who he had even picked up as a personal friend, his compassion for them was gone. "SONIC CANNOT TURN INTO HIS SUPER FORM WITH THE EMERALDS UNDER HIS CONTROL! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE, LIVE WITH IT FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES!"  
  
"Oh, I won't let you die without a show." The shadow of Knuckles chuckled with a voice as powerful as Lucifer himself. "Watch, you fucking fools!" he raised his hand over his head and the seven Chaos Emeralds along with the Master Emerald floated into their power consuption places around the shrine and not even a second sooner..BOOM! All of Station Square had burst into glames.  
  
"NO!" Amy cried. "ALL THE PEOPLE! ALL DEAD!" She cried, tears streaming down her face.  
  
Everyone was too crying as that's all they could do, they were powerless. Even the heroric Sonic was crying. Blinx however looked like he was thirsty for blood but there was none left in the world. Tikal too wasn't crying..she was thinking and not very good at that. She had to try.  
  
She walked up in front of the shadowy figure.  
"The controllers are the seven Chaos..--" she continued on.  
  
Blinx's eyes widened horrifingly. He couldn't let her die before him, as long as he could live as long as one vital sign was alive he would protect that girl.  
  
"--power enriched by the heart" she spoke slowly. The prayer was almost done. He had to do this fast.  
  
He walked over to Rouge and put a hand on her shoulder. "Rouge, listen to be carefully. If this in some sort of miracle stops..promise me...swear to me..you'll carry out my promise to Michelle if he doesn't get to her town before it's over."  
  
"I...okay.." she responded  
  
"Promise me!"   
  
"I promise."  
  
"Good.." He hugged her and walked over to Amy.  
  
"Amy!" Amy stood up suddenly in fear but he hugged her tightly. "I'll miss you, child."  
  
"I'll..m-miss you too." She sobbed, not really knowing what Blinx was preparing to do.  
  
He could hear the last few words of the prayer. "Unifies the Chaos..." Tikal stuttured.  
  
"One day...in another world maybe..in another place...we'll make s'mores...just you and me." he kissed her on the nose and ran over to Tikal and full speed which proved to be pointless as it took the figure a while to let all his laughing out as obviously, the prayer hadn't worked.  
  
"You little idiot! You are the biggest fool! You might as well be the first of the last ones in Station Square to die..I'll destroy this whole planet in a matter of minutes."  
  
"I..am not afraid." Tikal stammered.  
  
The figure raised it's hand in an attempt to simply push Tikal off the island, but Blinx interfiered.  
  
"TIKAL!" he screamed as he dove forward and pushed her with all his might as far away from the monsters impact as he could.  
  
The monster threw a fatal swoop with his hand that bearly missed Tikal and knocked Blinx clear off Angel Island. His only regret he had when he lost his life...he never got to say good-bye to Tikal.  
  
"Hmph." The figure grunted. "Stupid insect."  
  
Tikal jumped to her feet and looked around for Blinx...he was not around there was only one thing that could have happned. "Blinx.." she whispered to hearself as the tears finally started up.."Blinx..no..." There was a flash of lightning in the red sky as Tikal's voice deepend into a more mature tone. "Cerran." She whispered.  
  
The figure immidiatly shrunk down into the small Knuckles again. "Lerane...my love.."  
  
Tikal started to glow with a blue aura. "Cerran..my eternal love!"   
  
They both ran toward eachother and immidiatly began a passionate kiss as if they were long lost lovers and hadn't kissed for years. More like they were kissing for the love between every couple on the planet. Tikal let out a yelp of pleasure as the kiss neared an end. They both floated into the air in the blue aura surrounding Tikal. Tikal and Knuckles' bodies were dropped to the ground from the heighth where they were standing and two transparent beings were set free from the bodies as they cotinued on with the kiss, they landed on the ground and stopped kissing.  
  
One being was a black echidna with red eyes and a muscular body. The other was a female white echidna who was looking around cutely.  
  
"My love! Look what has happned! It has worked! We will live alone in our own existance!" Cerran stated exitedly  
  
"No, we can't, love. These people need their existance..."  
  
"But how will we ever see eachother?"  
  
"As long as we're not standing in true loves way, darling." She looked down at Sonic, Tails, Rouge and Knuckles and Tikal who were sitting up.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" the female bowed. "I am princess Lerane."  
  
"Yes and I am prince Cerran." The male bowed.  
  
"I know we have caused you pain but let me explain...in very ancient times even before Tikal's ancient tribe we were part of two seperate tribes...and fell in love. But our tribes were at war so we prayed to what was the purpose of the war..The Chaos emeralds. Chaos had just been born and had the evilist of evil inside of him which is the purpose. Cerran and I promised to guard the emeralds with all our power if one day we could be together. So the prayer was accepted and we have lived with guardian after guardian, me guarding the past and Cerran guarding the future..but Chaos wanted to cause trouble and put ideas into Cerran's head about us having our own existance so it was because of that the emeralds started evolving, not just Chaos alone but his evil sped the process up. My most humble apologies for all the trouble" she bowed "Excuse us."  
  
She raised a hand over her head and the fire was gone...it was as if it had never happned and life resumed. Cerran and Lerane were nowhere in sight.  
______________________________________________________________________  
Tikal was automaticly teleported to her time in the blink of an eye and Angel Island back in it's proper place with the Chaos emeralds once scattered again and the master emerald in it's place.  
  
Sonic and friends stood on Angel Island, still sad over the death of Blinx. Rouge set off on a journey of her own to find Michelle and Tails went off to find Kila. Sonic and Amy continued life in Station Square and Knuckles returned to his position as guardian.  
  
They were all still somewhat mad that they went through all that trouble and someone died over a flame that wouldn't die out but love previals most of the time..even Cerran and Lerane had to face that."  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
Cerran and Lerane floated in what was limbo between earth and afterlife.  
  
"My love we are together forever now." Cerran rested his head on his lovers shoulder.  
  
"No, my love I'm sorry." Lerane lowered her head.  
  
"What do you mean?!" Cerran's eyes teared up. "What did we do now, we're not in the way of love! The Chaos emerald has to keep it's promise."  
  
"Yes...we were the ones who brought them together. We played a part in their destined happiness forever."  
  
"No...we were so close.."  
  
"Yes, but in the next few millinia we will do it right...the emeralds will begin the evolution process again and the next time we will use it to be eternally happy and save the world..not split apart again and try to destroy it."  
  
"Until next time my love." They both held hands for as long as they could before they went their different ways. To the past and future.  
  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
Tikal cried and cried for as long as she could remember on the steps of the shrine where she had re-appeared. He was gone...he hadn't even been born yet from where she was living but she knew his fate...all because of her.  
  
There was a loud crash as two generals came in carrying another echidna that was kicking around and trying to get loose of their grip.  
  
Tikal walked up to the two bigger echidna's. "What seems to be the problem?"  
  
"This soldier in training will not train because he CLAIMS he knows you!"  
  
The soldier had his head down and looked up. It was Blinx. "Tikal!" he tried to run up to her but the generals held him back.   
  
"Let him go, NOW!" Tikal yelled which was new to the guards who knew her as a sweet and linient future ruler.  
  
They both hugged and cried onto eachothers shoulders in happiness...just then Tikal heard a little voice in the back of her head. It was Lerane  
  
[We have given you two a second chance, child, you were destined to be.]  
  
Tikal blushed furiously as did Blinx who had just gotten the same message from Cerran. Tikal didn't beleive although it was true that they were destined to fall in love but she only knew one thing...  
  
She wanted to do something nice for him...after all, he DID save her life.   
  
THE END 


End file.
